


The Girl in Seat 22A

by MrsEclipse9856



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Female James T. Kirk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:47:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 46,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4336220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsEclipse9856/pseuds/MrsEclipse9856
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard hates to fly, it's no secret. So what happens when the girl next to him turns out to be his new boss' daughter and comes up with another way to San Francisco. Modern AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"These things are pretty safe to sit in. I doubt we're even going anywhere, everything looks like it's icing over," the girl in the seat next to him said.

It didn't really matter to Leonard, he hates to fly. At the moment, they weren't even moving, so maybe she had a point. They were in Dallas-Fort Worth at four thirty in the morning, in the middle of what looked to be the beginning of an ice storm. Leonard was regretting not spending the extra cash to fly non-stop.

"I have aviophobia," he told her.

"A fear of dying in something that flies. You do know that you're in an airplane, right?" she teased. At least, he thought she was teasing.

"I'm quite aware of that. I don't have much choice, my car is in California already," Leonard said to the woman.

She smiled, "Moving to the west coast. What do you do?" He gave her a look and found a pair of gorgeous blue eyes staring at him. Long blonde hair, pouty pink lips; this girl had gorgeous everything.

"I'm a doctor. Trauma surgeon. I'm supposed to start at San Fran General in a few days, if we get there."

"With Doctor Philip Boyce?" the girl asked him. How the hell would she know that?

"Yes. How do you…?" he began to ask. She showed him her phone. On the screen was a picture of Boyce with an arm around a handsome man and the girl sitting next to Leonard on this plane. "You know my new boss?"

"Yep, I'm his adoptive step-daughter. It's a really long story. You must be the medical genius he snagged from Atlanta… nice accent. I'm Jim," she said as the flight attendants got on the intercom to announce that their flight was not leaving and they all had to get off the plane. Jim chuckled, "Told ya. We'd be better off driving it."

"Can we do that?" Leonard asked her.

"I can do anything I want if I put enough effort into it. Interstates are usually clear in crappy weather. I can take I-40 west, it's a little over seventeen hundred miles," she paused, "twenty-five hours of drive time. Even if I make a lot of stops, I could be in California before this airport gets any planes in the air. And I can rent a car from my phone." As if to prove her point, Jim started typing on the small device and had a car reserved before the door to the plane opened. "Wanna come with me, we're going to the same place?"

"Might as well." It's not like he had any better options. "I'm Leonard, by the way. Leonard McCoy."

* * *

"So, what's your story?" she asked.

"What makes you think I have a story?" Leonard countered.

Jim chuckled, "Everybody has a story, doc. I happen to know that my step-dad had to beg you to take the job at The General. So, what's the story?"

"My ex-wife cheated, left and took everything including my job and my daughter," he told her. "I worked in the same practice as her father. He took my side in the divorce because what she did was fucked up but I couldn't stay. She showed up at the practice and the hospital every day and caused problems. As soon as I was unemployed, she petitioned for custody."

"That's fucked up," Jim said as she changed lanes. "How's your kid doing with all this?"

"Joanna. She's is nine and she's smarter than my ex thinks. There's nothing she can do and it bothers her but she knows her mother is full of shit. My sister is gonna bring her out to visit after I get settled," he told her.

"Ahh… she's one of those kids," Jim said.

Leonard looked at the woman in the driver's seat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I bet the teachers can't even keep up with her. 'Too smart for her own good.' They tell you that a lot. Don't they?"

"Yeah. You were one of those kids, weren't you?" he asked with a smirk.

"You have no idea," she said with a chuckle.

"So, tell me. You wanna know all about my life. What about you? What's your story?" Leonard asked.

"I'm just a typical genius with dead parents. If I were a comic book character, I'd be Batman or Iron Man… except, you know, prettier," she told him.

"And without the multimillion dollar company," he added.

"Actually, I almost have that one down." She glanced at him and chuckled, "You ever hear of Enterprise Global?"

"It's a computer company, right?"

"Cybersecurity and unified threat management. Right now we're working mainly with companies but we're also developing software for private use." The way she said it, it was like the most normal thing for a woman in her twenties to talk about.

"So, you work for them?" he asked.

"No, my best friend and I own it." Did she just say she owned what is quickly becoming a multinational tech company?

"You're like twenty-two… twenty-three," he said.

Jim smiled, "Twenty-seven but thanks for the compliment. I'm like a girl version of Zuckerberg, you know, the Facebook guy. I told you, I'm a genius. Me and Spock, my best friend, put the company together before we got our master's degrees from MIT almost seven years ago. I used the money from my parent's life insurance and he used some money from his dad and the rest is history. We worked outta this tiny apartment when we started but we doubled our initial investment after the second year, paid ourselves back and slowly expanded into what we are now. It's hard work but we love it."

"So, you're rich? Why were you flying in coach? And why the hell are you driving with me instead of being in a private jet?" he asked. "Don't answer any of that, I don't have a filter."

"It's okay. Yes, I guess I'm rich. I don't have a jet because I think it's a waste and I'm not the type to just throw money at stuff. I have my dream home, a nice car and a motorcycle. I don't really need anything else, I'm a simple person. I was in coach because I traded my first class ticket on an earlier flight with a solider on his way home from Afghanistan, yesterday. Guess it's a good thing too, I would hate for that guy to be stuck at DFW after everything he's done for our country."

"That's really sweet," Leonard told her.

She shrugged, "My dads were all in the military. My biological dad, George, and my adoptive dad, Chris, were in the Army together and became best friends. Phil was in the Navy. If I can do something to help someone else, I do."

"Which explains why I'm in the car with you." Jim nodded at his observation. "So what does Chris do?" he was curious.

"He's the head of operations for a private military contractor," she said. "Pain in my ass but he's my dad and I love him."

"You mind if I ask you something personal?" She shrugged and Leonard took that as his permission. "What happened to your family?"

Jim sighed, "I don't talk about it a lot. Maybe I'll tell you one day."

"You think we're gonna be friends after this?" Leonard liked the idea of being friends with this girl. Hell, he wouldn't mind being more than friends. As his mama would say, she's got moxy. His mama would also be planning the wedding already.

"Road trips breed friendship," Jim told him. "Besides, other than Phil, I'll be the only person you know in San Francisco. Somebody has to make sure you don't work yourself to death."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm fine, dad," she rolled her eyes. Leonard chuckled, parents are parents no matter how old you are.

They stopped in Amarillo for gas a little after eleven and Leonard offered to drive for a while after they got some lunch. The plan was to stop again in Gallup, New Mexico for gas, then drive to Flagstaff, Arizona –a little more than halfway to San Fran- and stop for the night, they could both do with some sleep. They had been back on the road for about two hours when her dad called.

"I'm not asking him for his social security number. You know, you could just ask papa, I talked to him before we left the airport just to be sure. The hospital did a check on Bones already, he wouldn't have a job there if they didn't and you know it," Jim told her dad. Leonard made a motion for the phone. She sighed and hit the speaker.

"… know you think you're invincible, kid, but you aren't and driving across the country with a stranger is dangerous." The voice was strong and full of concern and authority.

"I assure you, she's perfectly safe with me," Leonard blurted out. There was silence for a moment.

"You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it," the other man told him.

Leonard chuckled, "Yes, sir. I wish there was something I could do to ease your mind but I'm a father too, so I know I can't. I would take her advice and talk with Boyce. He can give you the full report on me. Divorced, one child, family in Georgia. I'm not broke but I'm not well off either. One of the best trauma surgeons in the county. Hates airplanes. Never been in any trouble. I have nothing to hide."

"We'll see. I'll call you back, Jim," the man told his daughter.

"I might answer you," she teased.

Leonard could hear Chris sigh, "You don't answer me and I'll call my friends at the FBI down there. We clear?"

"Fine, but you're gonna kill my battery and Bones turns out to be a serial killer, I'm not gonna have a phone," she deadpanned.

"I'm not kidding, Jamison," her dad told her.

"I know, Christopher. I'll answer, I always do. Love you," Jim told the man on the other end.

"Love you too, kid," Chris said before hanging up. Jim burst into laughter as soon as the call disconnected.

"So… that was my dad. He's the protective one," she said, still laughing.

"I can see that. Bones?" he asked.

"You're a surgeon, Bones is short for sawbones." She had a point. "Go ahead and ask."

"Jamison?"

"It was supposed to be James after my grandfather… then they realized that the penis the ultrasound tech saw wasn't actually a penis. My mom decided not to name me James but still in tribute to her father, so I became Jamison. My brother started the whole Jim thing."

"You have a brother?" he asked.

"Had," she told him with a touch of sadness.

He had a feeling that something really bad must've happened to her. Leonard reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. Jim gave him a small smile and turned her hand to hold onto him.

* * *

"One room left. One bed," she told him.

"I'll sleep in the chair or something," he muttered.

Jim laughed, "Like hell. You need to sleep in a bed. We're adults, we can share."

It's been a very long time since he's actually slept in the same bed with woman. It was something else his ex-wife took from him. The handful of times he'd been with a woman since the divorce, he didn't stay the night. It just didn't feel right. He'd give it a shot but only because he was tired and, for some unknown reason, he was comfortable around Jim.

"You sure?" he asked, just to double check.

"Yep. I might even keep my hands to myself," she joked as they made their way to the small room. At least, he thought she was kidding.

The room wasn't anything spectacular but it was enough for showers and sleep. Having been at the airport longer than him, Leonard figured Jim would want to shower first. She pulled off her boots and jacket before she practically skipped to the bathroom.

He turned on the small television in the room just to keep his mind off the fact that a door was the only thing that separated him from his very attractive travel companion while she took a shower. The sports channel was talking about football and he tried to concentrate on that. Of course, trying not to think about the naked woman in the bathroom made him think about her more. 'Don't go there,' he told himself. It was easy to ignore how hot she was when they were on the road but now, not so much.

"Your turn," Jim told him fifteen minutes later. The woman was gonna be the death of him. A towel, all she had on was a towel. He slid past her without looking –too much- and closed the door to the bathroom behind him.

"Why, God, why?" he whispered. He pulled off his clothes and hopped in the shower. He cannot think about that woman the way he was thinking about her, it doesn't matter how hard he was and he was _hard_. She's like sex on legs. From the glimpse he got, Leonard could tell she was in amazing shape and her body was just the right proportions. There was a very primal part of him that wanted her.

He glared down at his manhood, knowing full well he was gonna have to do something about that if he planned on getting some sleep. He soaped up his hand and gave himself a squeeze. A mix between a moan and a groan escaped before he had a chance to stop it. He mindlessly stoked himself trying to relieve the pressure. His mind drifting back to Jim. He could see her in his head, on her knees in front of him. Those bright blue eyes looking up at him while she wrapped those sexy lips around him. His hands tangled in that long blonde hair. "Fuck." It was enough to make him cum against the tile inside the shower. He was going to hell. 'She's your boss' kid for crying out loud,' said the voice in his head. 'But she's not a kid,' he reminded himself.

Leonard finished his shower, grabbed a towel and hopped out. In his rush to avoid Jim after her shower, he forgot to grab clothes. He wrapped the towel around his waist and called up every ounce of courage he had before opening the door.

Jim was sitting crossed legged at the end of the bed with a tablet in her hands and she was holding her phone against her ear with her shoulder. If he had to guess, it had something to do with her work. He smiled, she looked so at ease that he wasn't even sure if she noticed him standing there.

"That shouldn't be a problem, Scotty. Keep me posted," she said into the phone.

Leonard watched her and he couldn't believe how long her legs were. She was wearing a white long-sleeved Enterprise Global t-shirt and a pair of blue pajama shorts. On anyone else, he probably wouldn't have thought twice about it but the slightly tanned skin, purple toenails and small cluster of stars tattooed on her right foot grabbed his attention.

"Will do. Tomorrow night-ish. Everything is still grounded at DFW and the roads iced over a few hours ago. There's another front moving in behind the last one. It's a good thing I left when I did." Jim paused a minute before she chuckled at what the other person said, "Alright, I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone and looked up at him, "You gonna keep staring at me, or are you gonna get dressed?"

"I wasn't sta… I'm gonna get dressed," he told her as he grabbed the closest thing in his bag to pajamas; a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Please don't tell me that you're all flustered because of me at… almost fourteen hours in," she told him.

"Okay," was the only thing Leonard said. He gave her a look and Jim rolled her eyes before she covered them with her hands.

Jim let out a musical laugh, "You know, I have seen a naked man before. But it's okay if you're shy, Bones."

"I'm not shy," he said. His tone was a bit more aggressive than he meant it to be. Mainly, it was the idea that someone has had their hands on that beautiful body. He had to remind himself that she's not his. "Sorry, I didn't mean to growl at you."

"It's okay. How about we get some sleep and I'll buy you waffles for breakfast?" she asked with a smirk, like she knew what he was thinking.

"What makes you think I like waffles?"

"Just a hunch. What side do you want?" Jim asked. When he was married, he slept on the right. He opted to sleep on the left side of the bed just because he could. Phones plugged in and alarms set, the pair got settled.

"Night, Bones."

"Goodnight, Miss Jim."


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we?" Leonard asked as he pumped gas.

"Barstow. Just north of L.A. From here, we'll take CA-58 west, then I-5 north at Bakersfield. It's about six hours to home," Jim said with a smile.

"You have a map in your head or something?" he asked.

"Something," she smirked.

As promised, and against his southern upbringing, Jim brought them breakfast at a diner near the hotel in Flagstaff. Gassed up, coffeed up and well rested, they headed out again. Like the first half of their drive, they talked, joked, teased each other over music choices and even flirted a bit. Okay, so maybe his attraction to her wasn't one-sided.

"Sounds good, smartass," he told her. There was a part of him that wished he could drag the drive out but they both had jobs to get to. Granted, Jim could probably do most of her work from anywhere with internet access. He was the one who actually had to be in San Francisco.

"You're gonna miss me," Jim sang as they got in the car, she was driving the rest of the way.

"Someone thinks too much of herself," Leonard tossed at her.

She chuckled, "Not too much, my cuddle buddy."

"What are you talking about?" He was so confused.

"Last night, you spooned with me in your sleep," Jim sighed.

"I did not. Did I?" She nodded at his question. "You didn't say anything, or push me?"

"It's been a while since I had a good cuddle. It was nice," was her reply. He looked at her, she wasn't kidding.

"How are you single?" Leonard asked. He didn't actually know if she was or not, he just assumed. "Don't answer that. I didn't…"

"Waiting for the right guy. One who isn't intimidated by the fact that I can take care of myself. I've had my fair share of failed relationships just like everyone else. I choose not to dwell on it too hard. Papa always tells me that it'll happen when it happens, the trick is being ready when it does," she told him with a smile. That damn smile was intoxicating.

He sighed, "Hypothetically, if I were to ask you out, would that make the rest of this trip weird?"

"Nope," was her answer.

"Good to know."

* * *

"Oh my, God, your apartment is in Nola," Jim said as they walked into the complex where his new home is.

"What's the smile for?" he couldn't figure out why she was so excited. Jim stood behind him and pointed over his shoulder. Leonard followed her finger to a building that was a little taller than the one they were standing outside of near AT&T Park.

"You see that building?" Leonard nodded. She smiled, "That's the Water's Edge. That top row of windows is my condo. We literally live down the street from each other."

"I guess that's good. It's nice to have neighbors," he said.

"Especially if that neighbor is me. I mean, who else is gonna help you get used to San Fran?" she asked with a wink.

"I could always ask your papa," he told her. He realized, after listening to her talk to them, that she calls Chris 'dad' and Phil 'papa'. He thought it was pretty cute.

"But it wouldn't be as much fun, Bonesy," she said.

For some reason, Jim was determined to get him all the way to his door. When he told her how backwards that was, Jim just laughed. She's the one who had to return the rental car and he didn't really know his way around yet.

"There you are," said the man leaning against the wall next to his door.

Jim sighed, "I can't believe papa gave you his address, dad. How long have you been here?"

"Not long. What'd you do, stop?" Chris asked. Leonard recognized him from the picture on Jim's phone and the one on Boyce's desk.

"Yep. When's the last time you saw Golden Gate all lit up?" she asked her dad. It was a nice view. Leonard looked at the man, if he didn't know she was adopted, he never would've guessed. She looked like she could've been his biological child.

"You're giving me gray hair, kid. Chris Pike," the man held out his hand.

"Doctor Leonard McCoy, sir. Nice to meet you," the southerner said as he shook Chris' hand. The older man nodded but didn't respond, too busy sizing Leonard up.

"You know you could've just waited at my place," Jim muttered. She turned her attention to him, "Well, this was fun. If you need someone to show you around or… hang out, call me."

"I don't have your number," he told her.

"Yes, you do. Come on, dad. We're gonna have a long talk about you being a stalker. Later, Bones." She leaned over and gave him a hug before dragging her father down the hall.

Leonard went into his still-packed apartment, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he did. He pulled up the contact's list and, sure enough, 'Jim Kirk' was in his phone, she even took a picture. Leonard had no idea when she did that. He typed out a quick text to thank her for bringing him along on her adventure. He wasn't expecting her to reply but she did.

' _Anytime, Bones_ '

* * *

"Come on up, Bones," Jim told him over the security system.

So, he asked her out. It took him a couple days to realize that, no, he could not just forget about her. It took him a few more days to work up the nerve. Jim is smart and funny and gorgeous. He'd be an idiot if he didn't go on at least one date with her. Who the hell was he trying to kid? There was no way he could just go on one date with Jim.

Leonard looked around as he walked to the elevator, he had to admit the building was pretty nice. It was the difference between apartments and condominiums, if he had to guess. Finding Jim's place was pretty easy since she only shared her floor with one other condo. He half expected a butler to open the door when he knocked, but he was graced with the beautiful blonde that had been plaguing his thoughts for the last two weeks.

"Hi," Jim said as soon as she opened the door. She was wearing a little black dress; not too short, fitted at the top, flared at the bottom, gold belt around the waist, plunging neckline that somehow managed not to show everything. God help him, it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

"Hi, darlin'," fell outta his mouth. "You look beautiful."

"Says the man in the nice suit. You look great," she said with a smile.

"I try. You ready?" Jim nodded and grabbed her small bag before she stepped into the hall with him and locked the door. "So, one of the other doctors told me about this place, The Forward. That's where we're goin', unless you have a preference."

"No, that's perfect."

* * *

"So, what did you do?" Jim asked.

"Nothing I could do. My mama is the scariest woman on the planet, let me tell you. It was bad enough I was in the barn with my pants around my ankles, I wasn't making it worse," he told her. "Me and Fred spent forever trying to convince her that we weren't… screwing each other."

The story was actually something innocent that got tossed on it's head. Sixteen year old Leonard got bit on his hip by something and his sister's boyfriend -now husband- offered to take a look. Mama walked in and found them, from her angle, it looked like Frank was giving him a blowjob. Leonard had never been so happy to get an infection from a bug bite in his whole life.

"That's a mess," she chuckled.

"You're tellin' me. Mama and Donna still bring it up when they want to mess with us," Leonard said with a smile.

"Wow, you have a great smile. Your face lights up," Jim told him.

"You're one to talk," he told her.

She sighed, "It's a family trait. According to dad, my father would bust out the Kirk Smile on unsuspecting girls. That's how he ended up with my mom."

"You don't talk about your family a lot," Leonard said. He noticed it on their road trip.

"It's not a happy story. It starts out that way. You ever have one of those really good days? Like everything about that day just felt right?" she asked.

Leonard nodded, "It's been a while, but yea, I know what you mean."

"It was one of those days. I remember the sun shining bright. My parents were so happy and so in love. School was good and I spent a good chuck of the day in classes with my big brother. I was eleven but I was ahead a few grades. It was just a really good day. I don't know whose idea it was but we went out for ice cream after dinner that evening. On our way home a drunk driver in a truck flew though our tiny town, ran a red light and slammed right into us."


	4. Chapter 4

"What happened, darlin'?" he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to make her relive the memory.

"He flipped us. My brother, Sam, died on impact. Mom bled to death before they could get her out of the car. My father died during his third surgery. I spent eight days in a coma. When I woke up… Chris didn't even have to say anything, I just knew." Leonard reached across the table and held her hand.

Jim took a breath, "My folks didn't have any family but they named Chris our guardian if anything ever happened to them. I don't remember a whole lot from those days. Moving. Curling up in a ball on Sam's bed. The heartbroken look on his girlfriend's face when she came to visit me. I kept wondering why I was still here and they were gone. I just wanted to die."

"What changed your mind?" he asked quietly. She gave him a look. Leonard smiled, "You're so full of life, something happened."

"Chris. I heard crying in my parent's room, so I went to investigate. He was sitting on the floor bawling his eyes out. There a picture sitting next to him. It was Chris and my father in their combat gear from before I was born. It hit me that Chris and my dad were practically brothers. I sat down next to him and he wrapped his arms around me. We just sat there and cried. I knew I couldn't leave him alone. Eventually, he adopted me. And he met Phil but that's their story. I'm depressing, I know."

"I'm a doctor, darlin', I got my share of depressing stories. They're part of who we all are. My mama likes to say that we can't appreciate the good if we never had the bad," he told her.

"Smart lady, your mama," Jim whispered.

"She ain't the only one. You're plenty smart," Leonard said.

"So they tell me. Can we talk about something else now?" she asked.

He had a thought, "What are you doin' tomorrow?"

"Nothing, why?" she was curious and he could tell.

"I need a tour guide. Wanna show me your city, darlin'?" he asked.

Jim smiled, "I can do that. Oh, Bonesy, you have no idea what you're asking for."

"I know exactly what I'm asking for. I want you to show me the San Francisco you see."

* * *

"This place is amazing," he said as he leaned against the railing in Jim's living room.

After dinner, they went back to Jim's for a drink. Her condo was a lot bigger than he expected. It was loft-style with three levels. Her bedroom and office were the top level, the middle was the main level with her entry, living room, kitchen and dining area and the bottom level had two extra bedrooms and a small storage area. The east wall was all windows and she had a wonderful view of the stadium and the water.

"I brought the view," Jim said as she handed him a glass.

"I see that." Leonard took a drink. "Never figured you for a scotch person," he told her. Didn't surprise him that it was good scotch too.

"I'm full of surprises," she whispered.

"I've noticed," Leonard told her. Jim looked up at him and he found himself staring at her lips, all he wanted to do was kiss her. He stepped closer to her and moved slowly, giving Jim a chance to back away if she wanted. To his pleasant surprise, Jim closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against his.

Leonard wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Unfortunately, that's when his phone rang. He had a special ring for the hospital, so he knew it was work. He reached into his pocket and, without loosening his grip on Jim, answered. "McCoy."

It was the ER and they were calling everyone in. He got the details before he hung up. Jim sighed, "You have to go to work."

"Multi-car collision. Jim, I'm…" he started.

"You better not say 'sorry'," she told him. "You work with my papa, remember. I'm used to him running off for emergencies."

"I might have to take a rain check for tomorrow," Leonard said.

"I don't work on Sundays, so I'll be here. Just let me know. Go save lives, Bones." She pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"You alright, McCoy?" Boyce asked him.

"I'm fine," Leonard told the older man. There was no way he was telling him that he had to drag himself away from Boyce's daughter. Or the fact that she was so accepting of his job was in such stark contrast to his ex-wife that it made his heart ache in that 'Where have you been my whole life?' kind of way.

"How's my daughter?" the other doctor asked. He looked at the other man for a moment before Boyce chuckled. "She told me she had a date and you came in wearing a suit with her shade of lipstick on your lips."

"She's good. At least, I think she is. I mean, she kissed me before I left," Leonard was rambling.

"It's okay. I'm not Chris. That kid's always been a better judge of character than he gives her credit for. I think he just doesn't want anything else to happen to her. I'm okay with it as long as you treat her right," Boyce told him. "You look like you're already in deep."

"I do not. Do I?" he asked. They've known each other for two weeks. There was no way in hell that he loved her already.

"Yep. Don't worry about it though, Jim has that effect on people. I loved her the minute I met her too."

* * *

"Did you actually get any sleep last night?" Jim asked. He shook his head. It was a choice between spending the day with her and rest, he picked her. She smiled as she pulled him into her condo. "You need to sleep."

"I know," he mumbled. He kinda felt like a little kid who's in trouble. Of course, an image of Jim as a school teacher invaded his thoughts.

"How about we save the adventure for another day and we just relax?" she asked.

"That works for me, darlin'."

"Good. We can watch all the stuff on my DVR that I haven't gotten around to," Jim offered. Leonard didn't actually care. The idea of just spending the day hanging out with her was enough for him. He hung his jacket on the back of a chair and sat next to Jim on her couch. He has no idea what show she picked because her couch was really comfortable and he was asleep before the intro came on.

* * *

"That feels good," Leonard mumbled. Jim was running her fingers through his hair and along the back of his neck. He realized that she was leaning against the arm of the couch and he was using her stomach as a pillow. Jim's long, jean-clad legs were on either side of him, his arms were wrapped around her waist and there was a blanket over them both.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," she said with a chuckle. "Feel better, Bonesy?"

"Yea. You're very comfortable. How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Almost five hours. You killed this show for me, by the way. I doubt I'll be able to watch The Walking Dead without a cuddle buddy from now on," she told him.

"Well, I guess that means you'll have to call me before you watch it again," Leonard muttered against her stomach. God, she smelled like heaven, lavender and something he didn't recognize.

"You realize you just offered to watch a zombie show whenever I call," Jim teased.

"I offered to cuddle with you whenever you call. I don't particularly care what we're watching, darlin'," he told her.

When she didn't say anything, he looked into her eyes and what he saw in those inviting blue orbs took his breath away. Leonard shifted and brought his face closer to hers. Jim licked her lips and it was his undoing. He closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers.

The kiss started like a slow simmer, neither of them in a rush, just testing the waters. There was no denying the chemistry between them but Leonard needed to take his time, no matter how bad he wanted her. Of course, that thought got tossed out the window when Jim moaned and pulled him closer. One of his arms tightened around her back while the other hand gripped her thigh.

They pulled apart just long enough for him to sit up and Jim to straddle him. He kissed along her neck and drew the most beautiful sigh from her lips. "Leonard."

She hadn't called him anything except Bones since she gave the nickname to him during their impromptu road trip. The way she said his name was like lighting a fire. He pulled her lips back to his and Jim's fingers tightened in his hair. Leonard groaned against her lips and held her closer. They were pressed against each other and he was consumed by her.

Jim nipped at his bottom lip and he opened his mouth, her tongue tangled with his _._ She ground her hips against him and he moaned into her mouth. 'Oh dear God,' he thought to himself. His hands gripped her hips as she moved against him. One of his hands slid under her shirt, caressing her warm, smooth skin.

He knew should slow this down but he really didn't want to. His inner gentleman won out in the end and he reluctantly pulled away. Jim pressed a soft kiss against his neck before she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Is that the kiss I was supposed to get yesterday?" Jim asked.

"And then some. Sorry, I got a bit carried away, darlin'," he told her.

"Don't apologize, I've wanted to do that since we met, Bonesy," she whispered against his ear. He groaned. Why did she tell him that? He was already hard as a rock and she knew it.

"I guess it's true that good things come to those who wait," he told her. "I should probably go. I'm a gentleman but I ain't a saint."


	5. Chapter 5

"How can I help you?" the blonde behind the reception desk at Enterprise Global asked.

"I'm here to see Jim Kirk. Name's Leonard McCoy," he said.

The woman's eyes lit up, "Oh, you're the doctor. I'm Janice. I'll have her assistant come get you." The question must've been on his face because she chuckled, "We're all friends around here. She mentioned you, said you were hot but that is obviously an understatement."

"Thanks," he said with a chuckle.

The woman –Janice- hit something on her computer and a moment later, a beautiful redhead with blue eyes walked up to him, "You're Leonard?" He nodded at the newcomer. She looked him up and down, "Wow, she wasn't kidding. Come on. I'm Gaila, Jim's assistant."

"Leonard McCoy. But I have a feeling you know plenty about me already," he said.

"Not really. In all fairness, I haven't had much chance to talk to Jim outside work. She's been a bit busy," Gaila told him.

Jim mentioned that they were in the final stages of a deal with a major healthcare company. If it panned out, they would have to open another office and hire a hundred employees over the next six months. He looked around as they walked through the E.G. offices, which were in an updated warehouse. Leonard noticed that they were sleek but comfortable. Regular and frosted glass walls gave the place natural light without completely taking away the privacy of the offices.

They came to a door and Gaila made him wait a few seconds before waving him in. Leonard wasn't sure what to expect when he walked into the room. There was a man sitting on the dark blue couch and Jim was leaning against the edge her desk, facing a large window, on the phone. Unlike the employees that he passed, who were all in casual clothes, Jim was dressed professionally. She was wearing a tailored black, gray and yellow dress with a pair of black Christian Louboutin –he only knew that because his ex- heels.

"Have I ever made a promise I couldn't keep?" she paused. "Exactly. I'll handle it. Alright, I will get back to you tomorrow." Jim hung up and sighed, "I hate that guy. Hey, Bonesy." She stepped in front of him and gave him a soft kiss.

He smiled, "Hey, darlin'. Nice place you got here."

"Thank you. This is my partner in crime, Spock Grayson. Spock this is Doctor Leonard McCoy," she introduced the two men.

"Doctor," Jim's friend nodded. Spock was tall with dark hair and sharp features. The man was gorgeous and Leonard felt a little inadequate standing next to him.

"Are you all supermodels?" Leonard asked before he could stop himself. Everyone he's seen in this place was attractive and graceful.

"No," Jim laughed. "Wait until you meet Nyota and Hikaru. They actually look like they belong on a runway somewhere. And you already met Gaila, she's the resident fashionista. Let me grab my bag and I'll be ready to get out of here," she told him. They were grabbing an early dinner before his shift at the hospital.

It's only been a few days since he fell asleep on her couch but they've talked to each other every day since. It was crazy how much he missed her when she wasn't around but they both had things to do. She worked during the day and he got talked into working the six in the evening to six in the morning shift for the last week. Since he was still on east coast time, it was like working a three in the afternoon to three in the morning back in Atlanta and it didn't bother him one bit. The only downside was that he didn't get to see Jim very often. Boyce was right, he was in deep.

* * *

"I gotta ask; what's with the very sexy executive look?" he asked Jim.

"I had a couple meetings out of the office. I usually wear more comfortable clothes to work. You think this is sexy?" she asked as they walked from the elevator to her condo.

"Yes, ma'am, I do," he told her. Jim smiled as she unlocked the door and they stepped inside. As soon as she slid the door closed, he pressed her against it and kissed her. Jim dropped her bag and blazer on the floor and pulled him closer. How long they stayed like that, he doesn't know. The alarm on his phone beeped and they both groaned. "I gotta go."

"I know," she whispered, breathless. She kissed his palm, "Wanna come over in the morning? I'll make you breakfast."

"It's a date, darlin'."

* * *

"Someone is in a good mood," Boyce said from behind him.

"Yes, I am," Leonard replied.

The other doctor laughed as he looked at his phone, "I meant Jim. She's texting with smiley faces. But I guess if you're happy and she's happy, all's well. You're both good, right?"

Leonard really liked Boyce. He was just a damn good doctor and if Leonard could have half the career that Boyce has, he'd be a happy man. Well, a happier man. Phil was also a great father. He and Chris got together when Jim was thirteen and Boyce loves that woman something fierce.

"We're uh… we're good. Better than, actually," he told Jim's papa.

Boyce smiled, "Glad to hear it. You ask her to go to the fundraiser with you?"

"What fundraiser?" Leonard was confused.

"It's the annual fundraiser. I'm surprised no one mentioned it to you. We're doing a bachelor auction and a dinner, it's next week. Jim's already invited, I bet she was planning to ask you and I just spoiled it," Phil said.

"Maybe. I'm having breakfast with her in the morning, I'll mention it."

* * *

"I actually forgot about that damn thing. I just sent a check last year. I could be convinced to go," she told him.

"Is that so, Miss Kirk?" he asked. When she nodded, he pulled her from her chair and onto his lap. "Well, I can be very convincing."

"If I didn't have to work today, I would make you convince me. But I'm in a good enough mood where a simple request will work," Jim said.

"Will you go with me?" Leonard asked.

"Yes. Someone is gonna have to buy you at the auction. It might as well be me," she teased.

"Seriously? I thought Phil was kidding."

"He wasn't. The single doctors are going up on the auction block. What you'll have to do is convince me to bid on you and not let some old rich woman have her way with you," Jim said with a smile.

"You're evil if you don't bid on me," he whispered against her neck. Leonard was rewarded with a shiver.

"You're such a tease," she muttered.

"I don't mean to be. I want you. You have no idea how bad I want you. I just don't want to rush it," he tightened the hold around her waist. He shifted her weight on him so that she could feel exactly what she does to him. "When I make love to you, Jim, I'm gonna take my time. I'm gonna explore every inch of this beautiful body of yours. I'm gonna make you moan and scream and cry." He whispered against her ear, "I'm gonna devour you, darlin'."


	6. Chapter 6

"You look like crap," Jim whispered from his left.

He turned and gave her a small smile, "I'm having a crappy day. What are you doing here? You're not hurt or something?"

"I'm fine. Papa said you guys were having a bad shift. I decided to come cheer you up. Or at least glare at people for you," she told him. Leonard reached over and pulled her against his chest. Jim wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. For the first time that day, he relaxed. "Come on, I'll buy you a bad cup of coffee and you can vent."

"I'm not gonna vent but I will get a kick outta you glaring at the handful of people still walking around," Leonard said as she pulled him the elevator.

After grabbing two cups of horrible coffee, they sat next each other in a corner of the nearly empty cafeteria and Jim looked at him. "What happened?"

He took a deep breath before he told her about the house fire that brought a family of five through the ER. The mom and two of the kids were stable but the dad and the middle child both died on him. Leonard had the kid stable and in recovery but he crashed while Leonard was helping Phil with the dad. Man never made it off the table.

"I don't know why it's bothering me so much. I've been a doctor for a while and I've lost my fair share of patients but this…" Jim gave his hand a squeeze.

"How many people have you lost since your dad died?" she asked quietly. He had to really think about it. His father's death was the straw that broke his marriage's back. Jocelyn stopped pretending and Leonard found himself working less in order to be there for his mom and spend time with his daughter.

"One. An elderly woman who fell. You think that because it was a father and son, and I'm still mourning my dad, that that's why I'm taking it so personally?" Jim nodded at the question. Given that she's been there too, he figured that she was probably right. "You might have a point. You know, it's after three in the morning, you should be at home. In bed."

"You needed me. Besides, I'm my own boss, I can take the day off and no one can say anything," she told him. He gave her a look and Jim smiled. "I've taken eleven days off in seven years, one of them was with you. If I want to take a day and cuddle with my boyfriend, then that's what I'll do."

"You're boyfriend, huh?" he teased.

"Well, you act like it. We talk to each other every day and we see each other like four times a week and… If I'm reading you wrong…" Leonard leaned over and kissed her cutting off her mini-rant.

"You're cute when you're flustered, darlin'," he whispered against her lips. "I like the idea of being yours, Jim." She smiled at him.

"Well, good. Want me to hang out for the rest of your shift?" she asked.

"You want to spend two and a half hours in the hospital for no reason?" Leonard asked her.

"You're reason enough for me. Besides, I know this place better than you do."

* * *

"Don't be nervous, Bones," Jim said as she fixed his tie.

"Easy for you to say. They aren't auctioning you off," he told her.

"Oh please, you know I'll bid for you. Just have fun." She pressed a quick kiss against his lips before she ran off to join her dad. The dinner part of the night went well and the auction part of the night was underway. There was a silent auction for stuff like trips or a day doing x adventure. He was sure Jim bid on some of that too.

It was a little weird having a girlfriend who made more money than him but he loved that she worked for it. He's seen her and Spock sitting on her couch going over stuff he didn't understand. He knows she stays up half the night if someone doesn't call her and force her to sleep. If someone Googled 'hard working' Jim's picture would probably pop up with a cation that her tablet was in her hand while she took the picture.

"Next up, we have our newest trauma surgeon who came to us from the great state of Georgia. A true medical genius with a M.D. and a PhD in biological research. He speaks three languages and is easy on the eyes. Doctor Leonard McCoy," Boyce announced.

Leonard took a deep breath before he joined the other doctor on the stage. There were some whistles and a few cat calls. Boyce chuckled, "You all gotta hear the accent. Leonard?" The older man put the mic in front of Leonard's face.

The southerner chuckled, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." He could see some of the older women fanning themselves off. Jim had a huge smirk on her face, his voice does things to her and she's not afraid to admit it.

"Let's start the bidding at a thousand. Can I have a thousand for Doctor McCoy?" Phil asked.

"Two thousand," someone called. After that it went all over the room and Leonard could barely keep up. Someone made a bid for fifty thousand and that's when it got interesting.

"Sixty thousand," a blonde with a British accent called.

Jim smirked, "Seventy-five." He glanced at her and she just shrugged. Everyone in the room seemed to be getting a kick out of the two women who were basically fighting over him with their wallets. He had no idea how high Jim was willing to go but he hoped it was more than this other woman.

"Ninety thousand," an older woman called.

"One twenty-five," the British woman countered.

"One fifty," Jim said. Chris whispered something in her ear but she just waved her dad off. Boyce looked at his daughter with something between amusement and admonishment.

"One seventy-five," the other blonde said.

"We have one hundred seventy-five thousand. Do we have one eighty?" Boyce asked.

"Two hundred thousand," Jim bid. The other woman sighed when a man tugged on her arm. Her husband or boyfriend if Leonard had to guess.

"Two hundred thousand is the high bid. We do have two-oh-five?" Boyce looked around. "Two hundred going once. Twice. Sold to bidder in red who also happens to be my very beautiful daughter. Chris is gonna kill us both, sweetie." Most of the people in the room laughed. Leonard got to step off the stage and Boyce called the next doctor up.

After settling her win with the organizers and making a donation on top of that, Jim found him and pulled him out of the main ballroom, where this thing was being held.

"You spent two hundred thousand dollars on me and you already get me for free," he said.

"No, I spent two hundred thousand dollars on the hospital. Watching you squirm was just a bonus," Jim smiled.

"I didn't squirm. I was just worried that she was gonna keep going," he told her.

"She could've, my limit was half a mil," she smirked.

"You're kidding?" Leonard had no idea what Jim was worth, it wasn't really part of her everyday life. She worked hard and she was cautious about where and how she spent her money. He was sure they were gonna talk about it one day.

"Nope. It doesn't do any good sitting in the bank when there are people who could benefit from those funds, especially the pediatric department," she told him. He had to admit that she had a good point. "You wanna do something crazy with me?" she asked as she pulled him into the hotel's elevator.

"I'm game."

* * *

"Are we allowed up here?" Leonard asked as they walked around the hotel pool.

"I got us a suite, so I would assume so," she told him as she sat her clutch on a chair and began unzipping the long red dress she was wearing.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he stepped closer to her.

"I'm going for a swim. You're more than welcome to join me," she said as she slid the designer garment off her body and laid it on the chair before her hands moved to her bra. He took a second to appreciate the way the red lace made her skin glow before she took it all off. God, she was perfect, every inch of her.

Quickly making a decision, Leonard stood so close to her that he could feel her warmth but they weren't touching. He looked into Jim's eyes as he peeled piece after piece of his tux off until he was standing in front of her as naked as the day he was born.

For a minute, Jim didn't move, her eyes taking him in from his feet all the way up to his eyes. He felt himself harden under her gaze. Jim smirked as she closed the small gap between them, ran her hand up his chest and pressed a soft kiss on his lips before she pushed him into the water. Leonard chuckled when he surfaced and took another moment to admire that beauty that was Jim Kirk without any clothes on before she dove into the pool.

When Jim surfaced, it was behind him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and began dropping kisses on his back, along his shoulder and up his neck. "You looked so hot on that stage," she whispered against his ear. "They all wanted you. Even the guys," Jim gave his ear a playful nip. "But, alas, you're all mine."

She let him go in an attempt to swim away but he wasn't having it. Leonard gently tugged her against his chest and pulled her into a kiss, his hands gliding along her perfect skin. He sucked in a breath when her hand wrapped around his cock. "I promised to take my time, darlin'."

"I didn't," Jim whispered against his lips. She kissed and nipped at his neck while her hand expertly stroked him. He had to remind himself to breathe because it just that good. He couldn't resist, his hands slid across her flat stomach and along her ribs before he cupped her breasts _._ He lightly circled her nipples, which hardened more against his palms. She arched into his touch and her breathing hitched, "I want you so bad, Leonard."

That was it. He only had so much control… and it was gone. They could go slow later, right now he had to have her. "Jim," Leonard whispered. Their eyes locked, his hazel and her blue. For a moment, they didn't move, they just stared at each other. Then, their mouths and hands were moving all over each other.

One of his arms wrapped around her while the other held onto the edge of the pool. Jim buried one of her hands in his wet hair as she locked her legs around his waist and gently guided him into her. They both moaned at the feeling of finally and deliciously being connected. She was so warm and tight wrapped around him, he could die right now and he'd be happy.

Leonard had to take a deep breath before he began to move, sliding in and out of Jim's beautiful body. Her grip tightened and he could feel her nails biting into his shoulder. The water caressed her skin as they moved together and he was hypnotized by it. By her.

"Oh… oh, God," Jim muttered when he closed his mouth around one of her nipples. Despite the chlorine on her skin, he could taste her. She was sweet like honey and it drove him crazy. "B… Bones," she moaned. Leonard sped up his thrusts, unable to control himself.

"I gotcha, darlin'," he whispered against her wet skin. He was close and so was Jim, he could feel it in the small trembles of her body. He moved his hand from around her waist between their bodies and teased her clit with his thumb. Her legs tightened around him and she let out another moan. "That's it. Let go, Jim."

Her whole body tightened around him, her eyes fluttered closed and she came completely undone. He managed one more deep thrust before he reached his own climax. His whole body went numb and the only thing he could feel was Jim as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

They were both working on getting their breathing back to normal when he felt her shiver in his arms. "Cold, darlin'?" Jim nodded at his question. He smiled, "Wanna go to our suite? I bet we both fit in the tub?"

"I'm sure we do."


	7. Chapter 7

"Wake up, Bonesy," Jim said against his collarbone.

"Don't want to. You should come back to bed, darlin'," he mumbled.

"I would love to but you can't keep your hands to yourself and I'm a little sore," she said with a chuckle. They never took that bath together when they got to the suite. They didn't even make it to the bed until round three, fell asleep, then woke up for round four.

His eyes shot open, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," she kissed his chest. "It's just been a while. No sex for six months and then four times in one night. My body's not used to it. It's a good sore, I promise. Hell, I should give you a medal or something."

"I'm not that good," Leonard mumbled.

"You're kidding, right? I've never… Last night was…" Jim sighed against his chest, "I don't have the words, Leonard." He smiled. The look on her face was pure joy and he loved it. They stared at each other for a minute before Jim pushed herself up. "I ordered us breakfast... well, lunch. Come on."

"You answered the door like that?" he asked as he got out of the bed. Jim was wearing his tuxedo shirt and nothing else.

"No. I had on the robe too," she said while she stared at him. Jim looked like she was ready to pounce.

"I thought you were sore?" he asked.

Jim sighed, "I am but I'm beginning to care less and less the longer you stand there."

He chuckled, "Food first, darlin'."

* * *

"Hey, baby girl," he said into the phone. They had just finished eating when his phone rang. Leonard would've ignored it but it was his little girl.

"Hey, daddy. You'll never guess what Aunt Donna told me," Joanna said.

"No. You wanna tell me?" Leonard asked. He actually knew what his sister told her but she doesn't know that.

"She's gonna take me to visit you. And she said you had a girlfriend. Do you have a girlfriend? Is she nice?" his daughter asked.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend and she's very nice," he said. Jim, who was sitting next to him with her legs across his lap, just smiled. "As a matter of fact, she's right here. You wanna say hi?"

"Yes," Joanna answered. Leonard handed the phone to Jim.

"Hello," the blonde said into the phone. "Well, hi, Joanna. I'm Jim." She paused. "It's short for Jamison," Jim said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm keeping an eye on him." She smiled, "You're coming to visit? He's gonna be happy to see you. He misses you, a lot." Jim paused again. "Yep, he talks about you all the time, it's really cute." She chuckled, "Okay, I'll give you back to your dad. Talk to you later, sweetie." Jim handed the phone back.

"She sounds nice," Joanna told him.

"I told you she was," he said. His little girl chuckled before she launched into a story about school and her mom's new fiancé, Clay, who Jo hates with a passion. He tried to keep up but Joanna always talks at the speed of light. Eventually, she had to get off the phone to go to dinner with Jocelyn's folks. It was nearing four in the afternoon on the east coast. "I love you, baby girl."

"I love you too, daddy." Joanna hung up from her end and Leonard sighed.

"She sounds like a mini-version of you," Jim said.

He nodded, "She is. I spent more time with her than Jocelyn did. I honestly think that my ex wanted that little girl so she could hold her over my head. Just like she's doing."

"That's mean," Jim whispered.

"It is. I should've known better than to have a baby with her." Something occurred to him in that moment, "Jim, last night we didn't use…"

"Nexplanon." She wrapped his hand around her right arm and Leonard could feel the small birth control implant when he pressed his thumb down a little. "I'm not that crazy. You get tested all the time because you work in the hospital and I was tested three months ago, I'm clean."

"Oh, thank God. Not that I didn't think so already… it's just that we probably should've had this conversation, you know, before…"

"Before you fucked me senseless. Probably," Jim said.

"I did no such thing," he told her.

She smiled, "No?" Jim kissed his neck, "In the pool." She kissed behind his ear, "Against the door." She nipped his ear, "In the bed, twice. And you still owe me a bath."

"Well, maybe I did. Can you blame me?" Leonard asked.

"Nope. I'm gonna go run a bath in that giant tub. Care to join me?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Press conferences were not his thing but Leonard loved Jim too much not to support her. Yes, he loved her. He hasn't told her yet but he was working on it. The doctor stood towards the back of the room, waiting for this thing to begin. He doesn't know how, but Jim spotted him in the crowd and she gave him a tiny wave.

Nyota, who he recognized from E.G., stood at the microphone, "Good morning, everyone. I'm Nyota Uhura, the Chief Communications Officer for Enterprise Global. Today we're going to hear an announcement from Alexander Marcus, the CEO of Archer Healthcare, and Jamison Kirk, the President and CEO of Enterprise Global. After our speakers have made a few remarks, we'll take questions."

Alexander Marcus was an older man who carried himself like someone who was used to getting what he wants. Everyone watched as the man thanked Nyota and took her place at the mic. "First, I'd like to thank all of you for coming out. I am talked to you, Jerry." Marcus looked at a heavyset guy, who chuckled. Marcus smiled, "You all know I'm not one to beat around the bush. So, today, I'd like to announce that Enterprise Global will be taking over cybersecurity management for Archer Healthcare. This decision was made after a long vetting process and I'm thrilled to work with this group of extraordinary people."

The reporters were all waiting to pounce but Jim stepped up the microphone with the other CEO. She looked as gorgeous as she always does in a white skirt and a black, white and tan top. She smiled, "As you all know, the issue of cyber protection has become one of increasing concern, especially in the healthcare industry. Together, Enterprise Global and Archer Healthcare will work to protect the nearly ninety million patients and employees in their system."

After that, they opened the floor to questions, many of which, Leonard was surprised to know the answer to. Others were tech questions that he had no idea about. Then, there was the guy who asked for Jim's number. In true Jim Kirk fashion, her answer was priceless. She chuckled, "If you can figure out who my boyfriend is, and ask him for it, and he says it's okay, you can have it. He's around here somewhere."

A few more questions were asked of the CEO's before they stepped away from the mic and Nyota returned. "Thank you for coming. Mister Marcus has other matters to attend to but Miss Kirk will stay for a few minutes and answer questions individually. You may also contact me if you have any other questions, my contact information is on the press release."

Twenty minutes later, Leonard watched Jim as she charmed and impressed the reporters who asked her questions. She gave him a wink over some poor guy's shoulder as he hit on her. The best part of this, Leonard got to be anonymous. If he was at one of these things with Jocelyn, she'd be dragging him around, introducing him to everyone who would listen about her surgeon husband. He didn't compare Jim to Jocelyn often, but there were times like this one where it was hard not to. Jocelyn like the appearances better than the realities. Jim didn't care what it looked like as long as it was real, that's what he loves about her.

"Please get me out of here," Jim said when she finally pulled herself away from her new admirers.

"Anywhere in particular?" he asked.

"Bed. Yours, mine, I don't care which," she told him.

"Your wish is my command, darlin'."


	8. Chapter 8

"So, that's your girlfriend?" He nodded at his sister as they stood in his kitchen. Donna stepped closer to him and whispered, "You know, she's worth like twenty million dollars."

"No, she's not," Leonard countered even though he wasn't entirely sure. Enterprise Global wasn't a huge company but they made up for it by having big clients. Big clients equaled big income. And Jim owned half of it, plus her salary as CEO, bonuses and the money she got from the wrongful death suit that Chris filed when she was a kid. "Okay, I don't actually know how much Jim's worth. I don't care. Look at them."

Jim and Joanna were playing Minecraft on Jim's laptop in his living room. Donna and Jo got to San Francisco a two days ago. He introduced his sister and his daughter to Jim that morning, Jim and Jo have been joined at the hip since.

Donna smiled, "They are adorable. But seriously, your girlfriend is like really rich."

"But seriously, I don't care. She's an amazing person, she could be broke for all it matters to me," he told her.

"You're in love with her," Donna stated. Leonard nodded. She smiled, "Have you told her?"

"Not yet," he answered.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"That," Leonard looked over at his little girl and his girlfriend. "I know how much Joanna hates Clay and that Jocelyn doesn't care. I didn't want to do that to her too. I needed to see them together. I know it sounds crazy…"

"It's not. You're in love and you want your daughter to know the woman who holds your heart just in case it becomes more permanent. That's not crazy. Especially since your ex-wife only wants that kid around for the child support money." His sister sighed, "I swear, I wanna kill her most of the time. I had to fight with her just to get her permission to bring Joanna out here. You sure you don't wanna sue for custody?"

"I would if there was a chance I'd get it. Jocelyn's a bitch but she's a fit parent according to the legal definition of the phrase. There isn't a judge in Georgia that'll give me my kid, I'm lucky that I even get to see her," he said. Jocelyn would have to do something really bad for him to get custody. As much as he wanted Joanna, the idea of her mother doing something that bad to his little girl was not worth it.

"Dad, you're being paged," Jim said from behind him. She looked between the McCoy siblings, "What?"

"She Googled you," Leonard said. When Jim didn't say anything, he chuckled, "She seems to think that I care about how much money you have in the bank."

"Oh, my net worth is online thanks to the Archer deal's publicity. I doubt Google has the right figures," Jim said.

"So, twenty million is wrong?" Donna asked.

"Don," he glared at his sister.

Jim smiled, "It's okay, Bones. That's actually pretty close. I make money on the contracts, plus a salary, bonuses… normal pay package for a tech company CEO. I'd make a pretty penny if I ever sold my half of Enterprise Global, not that I would. My personal assets are worth just over twenty-four million."

"Happy now, Donna?" he asked the older McCoy.

"What? Don't tell me you weren't curious," she said.

"Actually, I wasn't. Now I know just how much she can upgrade when she's sick of me," he mumbled.

Jim laughed, "How exactly do I upgrade from the wonderful, sexy, brilliant, caring, devoted, sexy Leonard McCoy?"

"You said sexy twice," he told her.

"I know, you're doubly sexy. Now, stop gossiping in the kitchen and go out there. She missed you," Jim said before giving him a quick kiss and pushing him towards his daughter.

"What's up, baby girl?" he asked as he plopped down on the couch next to his daughter.

"Miss Jim said there's a really big library here. Can we go tomorrow?" This kid, who turned ten a month after he moved out here, was the cutest thing ever.

"Yes, we can go to the library," he told her.

"Can Miss Jim go with us?" she asked.

"I don't know, tomorrow is Monday," Leonard said. "She has a day job, Jo."

"Who?" Donna asked as she and Jim walked out of the kitchen giggling like idiots. He filled the women in on their conversation.

"You want me to go?" Jim asked his kid. Joanna nodded. Leonard watched his girlfriend smile, "Okay, I'm in. We don't have anything too big going on at the office and I can work from my place if I really need to do something. Besides, I'm the only one in the room with a library card."

* * *

"When's Miss Jim getting here?" was the first thing his daughter said in the morning.

Leonard chuckled, "Well, good morning to you too. I slept well, thanks for asking. I'm thinking about pancakes for breakfast."

"Daddy." She nudged him before she wrapped her arms around his waist, "Good morning."

"Ahh, there's my kid, I was beginning to worry. I just talked to her, she was just getting out of the shower. She'll be here as soon as she gets dressed. Okay?" he asked.

"Yep. Do you want my help with breakfast?" Joanna asked.

"That would be appreciated, thank you," he said. Together, they made chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and a fruit salad for breakfast. Their timing was perfect, Donna stepped into the kitchen and Jim knocked on the door at the same time.

"I'll get it," Joanna said before making a mad dash to the door.

"I guess you don't have to worry about those two liking each other," Donna grumbled as he handed her a cup of coffee. They could both hear Jim and Jo talking about something that he could barely keep up with. He was reminding of that conversation he had with Jim on their road trip, she and Jo were both considered too smart for their own good. In all honesty, Jim did pretty well for herself seeing as she was twenty-one when she got her masters and she's a multimillionaire.

"Good morning, McCoys," Jim said as she walked into the kitchen, hand-in-hand with Joanna.

"Hello, Miss Jim," he said before giving her a quick kiss. Donna just waved, it was best to leave his sister be until she had caffeine in her system. Jim was staring at him. "What?"

"This whole domestic thing is very hot," she whispered in his ear.

He smiled, "I'm gonna remember you said that, darlin'. Sit down, you're just in time for breakfast."

While they ate, Leonard watched Jim and Jo. They were going back and forth about math. Like statistics and probability kind of math. Donna looked like her head was gonna explode. His daughter was ahead in math back home and she loves it. He doubts her mother sits around talking about much with her, let alone math. Jim told Jo about this website that had all kinds of practice worksheets and tests on it. You would think Christmas came early the way Joanna's face lit up.

When they finished eating, Jim offered to help him clean up while Donna got ready. Jim seemed just as excited about going to the library as Jo did. Of course, she loves to read when she has the time. Today, she was making the time.

Once Donna was ready, the group headed out. There was a small library the next block over between his apartment and Jim's condo but that's not where they were heading. Joanna wanted to see the main library, so that's where Jim drove his car.

"It's huge," his daughter whispered from the seat next to him, they were riding in the back.

"There's a children's center, a San Fran history center, even a music center and a bunch of other stuff," Jim told them.

"You must like this place," Donna said.

Jim shrugged, "I like to read." That was only half the story. Getting back on her feet after the car accident that killed her family took a while. Jim focused on school, which she mostly did online and she even took credits in the summer. Chris would take her to the library because it was the only place she felt normal for a long time.

They parked the car in the lot and made their way into the building. Jo smiled before she grabbed Jim's hand and pulled her away. Leonard and Donna couldn't do anything but chuckle. He decided that he would take a look at the history center and his sister went to look through the fiction.

He doesn't know how long he was reading the book on the Golden Gate Bridge when Donna tapped him on the shoulder and told him to follow her. They made their way through the library until they were in the children's center. She pointed to a row of books with a smile on her face. Leonard took a look and smiled.

"'It seemed to travel with her, to sweep her aloft in the power of song, so that she was moving in glory among the stars, and for a moment she, too, felt that the words Darkness and Light had no meaning, and only this melody was real…'" Jim was reading to Joanna. His daughter had her head on Jim's legs as they sat on the floor and Jim ran her fingers through Jo's hair as she read.

If he wasn't already in love with Jim, he would be. He could see the cover of the book, _The Wrinkle in Time_. Leonard's read it before when he was younger, it's a really good story. He stepped over the pair and sat on Jim's other side. She gave him a smile before she continued reading. He didn't realize his sister was taking pictures until he heard the camera on her phone.

"Mama," Donna mouthed. Leonard nodded, he couldn't wait until he got that phone call.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is where Miss Jim works?" Joanna asked with a look of wonder on her face. Leonard had that same look the first time too.

"Yep," he told his daughter before looking at the receptionist. "Hey, Janice. Is the boss in?"

The blonde nodded, "She is. Who is this lovely little lady?"

"This is Joanna, my daughter. Jo, this is Janice Rand, she works here," Leonard introduced the pair. Jo reached over the deck that was almost as big as she was and shook Janice's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Janice," his daughter said.

"It's nice to meet you too, sweetie. Now I see why Jim took yesterday off. Who wouldn't rather spend the day with you? You guys can head on back. You mostly know your way around, Doc," Janice told the pair. Donna was at the apartment, she didn't want to come with them.

"Thank you," the two McCoys said at the same time. Leonard led Joanna through the increasingly familiar office. Of course, they didn't make it very far.

"Leonard. Is this your daughter? She's adorable," Nyota said.

"Yes, this is Joanna," he answered.

"You're the cutest thing. I'm Nyota, expert in all things communications," the woman introduced herself to Jo. "You're here to see Jim?"

"Yes, ma'am," his daughter answered.

"Manners and an accent, how do you ever say no to her, Leonard?" Nyota asked.

He chuckled, "It ain't easy, trust me."

"Well, Jim's upstairs. Come on, I'll show you the way since I don't think you've been up there, yet," she said.

"I haven't. We'll follow you," he said as Nyota led them to the stairs towards the back of the office that Leonard didn't notice until the second time he was there. Looking around, he didn't see any of the senior staff, all their offices were empty. "What's going on?"

"Oh, we had a meeting that ended really early. Now, they're just up here goofing off. I think that's the secret to how successful this place has become. Knowing when to buckle down and work hard and knowing when to let everyone relax," Nyota said as she walked into a conference room. "Jim, you have the most adorable visitor in the history of Enterprise Global."

"JO!" Jim called. Leonard chuckled as his little girl wrapped her arms around Jim's waist.

"Hey, Miss Jim. This place is really cool," his daughter said.

Jim nodded, "I know, right? Hi, Bonesy."

"Hey, darlin'," he gave her a quick kiss.

"Oooooooo," some of the guys said.

"Oh, grow up, children," Jim told the group as she rolled her eyes.

Janice was right when she told him that they were all friends. He hasn't had much chance to interact with anyone outside of Spock, Scotty, Nyota and Gaila but he could see it in how they interacted with each other. Jim told him that they all remind her of her brother in different ways and she feels like he's keeping an eye on all of them.

"Are you gonna introduce us to your young friend, Jimmy?" the Asian guy, Hikaru, asked.

"I suppose I can share her awesomeness with you. Guys, this is Joanna McCoy, Bones' daughter. Jo, this is Hikaru. We all call him Samurai Sulu because he fights in competitions with this really cool katana and he fences. He's the senior information officer. Next to him is the Russian wiz-kid, Pavel. He makes sure that all our systems are safe and he writes a ton of coding and he's a math wiz like you and he's only eighteen. Then, we got Spock, my brother from another mother. We've been besties forever. He owns the other half of the company. Madman Monty, our technical and engineering genius, most of us call him Scotty. He builds a lot of our hardware and if he can't fix something, it can't be fixed. Cupcake, he runs our security, I stole him from my dad's company. His name's really Greg but I like Cupcake better. And you know Gorgeous Gaila. She's trying to figure out how to snag you for a shopping trip," Jim told his daughter.

The redhead shrugged, "Can you blame me? She's gorgeous. She's like a mini, cuter version of Doc. I can't buy her one dress?"

"It's not up to me, Gaila," Jim said as she looked at him.

"Shopping with Miss Gaila, Jo?" His daughter vigorously nodded. She was still a girly girl. He sighed, "Just one dress."

"Boss?" Gaila looked at Jim.

Jim looked at her watch, "It's almost two, I'm making the McCoys dinner tonight. You have until five thirty, then you gotta get her back to my place. Go fourth and shop." Joanna ran over and grabbed Gaila's hand as the pair practically ran out of the room.

"Bye, daddy. Bye, Miss Jim," Joanna called over her shoulder.

"Wait for me," Nyota called as she followed them out. Everyone else looked at Jim.

"You can all leave too. We're done for the day, anyway," she told her team. The group chuckled as they cleared out of the room. Spock and Scotty were talking about some project they were working on and Pavel trying to convince Greg and Hikaru to go to next week's Giants game with him, Spock, Scotty and Leonard. The southerner liked baseball and being invited on a guy's day out with Jim's friends was pretty cool.

"Hi," he said when they were finally alone.

"Hi," she gave him one of those smiles that seemed to be reserved just for him.

He smiled, "She's not gonna go crazy, is she?"

"Ny won't let Gaila go overboard," she told him.

"Is this the first time we've been alone since Jo got to town?" Leonard asked.

"I think so. Maybe we should probably make the most of it," Jim said as wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss against his throat. He loves his little girl dearly, but she was seriously cockblocking.

"Too bad the walls are transparent," Leonard whispered.

"Not all of them. However, since we told Gaila to meet at my place, it might be the best option," Jim told him. She let him go to pick up the files and tablet on the table.

"What's up here, anyway?" he asked.

"A couple conference rooms, more offices, one of the server rooms," she answered.

"Multiple servers?" Leonard looked at her.

"The main server room is secured behind bulletproof glass and a digital lock with a fingerprint scanner that only three of us have access too. The backup is off-site. It requires me and Spock to open it and Hikaru and Pavel to access the information. We deal with a lot of classified info," she told him. He could understand that. Leonard should wish that all companies were that diligent. Fortunately, they aren't and Jim has a job.

They made their way back to Jim's office so she could grab her bag and her jacket before they left the building. Sadly, since they both had their cars, they had to drive back to Jim's condo separately. It felt like the longest fifteen minutes in his life. Of course, he was grateful for the privacy when they walked into Jim's place.

She pulled him through the door and locked it behind them. Jim looked at him like a cat stalking her prey before she pounced, her mouth claiming his, her fingers buried in his hair. Jim's lips were warm, soft and, thanks to that lemon lip balm she likes, sweet. Her hands moved to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.

"We're not gonna make it upstairs, are we?" he asked rhetorically, he already knew the answer. Jim's only response was to move her hands to his belt buckle. That was huge 'no'. Leonard kicked off his boots, boxer-briefs and pants all at the same time. "You have on too many clothes, darlin'."

His hands moved to the closure on the back of the flowy, light blue dress she wore to the office. He groaned when he got the damn thing off. He doesn't know when but he realized a while ago that Jim has this thing for lace undergarments. He's seen her in red, different blues, black and today, white.

"I like this," he told her as he ran his fingers over the lace covering her breasts. The southerner has no idea why it got to him so much but it did.

"I don't have to take it off, just get over here," she whispered. That works for him. His hands slid down her sides and peeled the lace underwear off. He didn't bother with taking off her shoes, took too much time and he was already fighting a losing battle. Leonard picked Jim up, she wrapped her legs around him as he pressed her against the closest wall. "Bones, please."

"God, darlin'," he muttered. She ground against him and he could feel how wet she was. Leonard was not a man that needed to be told twice. He locked his eyes with hers as he slid into her, bringing their bodies together. Jim's body responded to him immediately, relaxing around him as they moved together hard and fast. Six days was too long and there was no way they were gonna last.

"Bones," Jim mumbled against his neck. Leonard stopped long enough to let Jim down and turn her towards the wall before he was in her again. He held onto her left hand that was pressed against the wall, her right hand gripped his thigh."Don't stop."

Leonard wasn't planning to. He was so glad her hair was up today, he kissed and nibbled at her neck as he moved. Her smaller frame was already quivering in his arms before he changed the angle of his thrusts just enough to send Jim over the edge, he followed right behind her.

"Oh, that's better," Jim whispered.

"We should make a rule, no waiting six days to have sex," he said against her spine. His arms wrapped around her and neither of them seemed to be in a rush to move.

"I'm all for that. Why did we torture ourselves like that, again?" Jim asked.

"Because my daughter has slept in the bed with me since she got here. I'd tuck her in with Donna and wake up with her. You in the bed with me would be a very interesting conversation, even if we weren't doin' anything… which is impossible. I'm surprised we made it this long," Leonard said with a chuckle.

She turned in his arms and smirked, "Very true. How about we go upstairs and take a shower before I have to start dinner?"

"Is it a fun shower or a regular shower?" Leonard asked as he pressed kisses along her neck.

"A fun shower, of course."


	10. Chapter 10

"Yes, dad," Jim said into her phone. Leonard chuckled and tried to reach around her again. She playfully smacked his hand, "Stay away from my sauce." Jim snorted, "No, that was not a euphemism, dad. Mind outta the gutter. I'm making pasta sauce but Bones keeps trying to eat it straight outta the pot." She paused. "Yes, it is Grandma Bella's recipe, I started it this morning before I went to work. I'm making the meatballs now. You guys wanna have dinner with me and the McCoys? I was making extra to take over there tomorrow, you'll save me the trip." Jim smiled, "Alrighty, see you soon."

"Looks like family dinner just got more interesting," Leonard said as she hung up the phone.

"We're probably gonna have Gaila and Ny too. Grandma Bella's sauce is the most amazing thing ever and I'm the only one she gave the recipe to," Jim said.

"Now, Grandma Bella is…?" he asked.

"Papa's mom. She's living it up in a home. I'll take you to meet her one of these days, she'll flirt with you, grab your ass. I took Spock with me once, it was hilarious. And she loves Hikaru. Of course, he flirts back," she chuckled.

Leonard laughed, "I can imagine. Why's she in a nursing home?"

"Her mobility isn't what it used to be. Her brain is still there, so we asked what she wanted to do and that was her choice. She didn't want to inconvenience any of us. I love gam-gam. She's was the only one of my grandparents who accepted when dad and papa got married. Her husband died without making peace with papa. Charlie, dad's father, won't talk to any of us and his wife claims to be neutral but she's not."

He could understand what she was saying, as sad as it was. As a southerner, he's heard a few people with their bias towards all kinds of groups. Luckily, his parents didn't raise him that way but he wasn't immune from seeing it.

"We're in San Francisco," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. San Fran had the largest homosexual population in the country and this region of California was considered one of the most diverse areas in the U.S.

"I know, it's crazy. I can tell it bothers dad sometimes but his poker face is damn near perfect. It's helps that gam treats him like her son. Hell, that woman loves me like I'm blood. Which is why she gave me her sauce recipe. Her mother was Italian, this sauce has been passed down through all the women in the family," she told him.

"What are you gonna do with it?" he asked.

"Pass it to my kids, if I ever have any," Jim said.

"You want kids?" Leonard asked before he could think better of it. They've only been together a couple of months. They weren't there yet, even if he could see a cute little baby with Jim's bright blue eyes bouncing around his thoughts.

She looked at him and smiled, "One day."

"That sounds like a promise, darlin'," he whispered.

"More like something to look forward to," she told him. Leonard caressed Jim's cheek before he pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

"Jimmy!" Gaila called as she entered the condo.

His girl chuckled, "We're in the kitchen, guys." Talk about babies and futures was abandoned for Jo, Gaila and Nyota's shopping adventure.

* * *

"Okay, Ny, what's the deal with you and my platonic soulmate?" Jim asked. Everybody at the table looked at her.

"Your what?" Phil asked.

"She's talking about Mister Spock," Joanna answered.

"It's sad that the ten year old got that," Jim said. "To answer your question, papa. A platonic soulmate is like your best friend mixed with your sibling. The person who knows everything about you. If you say something crazy or burst into tears, they're right there to back you up. Your other half in the most non-romantic way possible. If there was even a drop of romance between me and Spock, we'd probably be married."

"You never tried?" Donna asked.

"Once, ten years ago, lasted two and half days," Jim told his sister.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"It was his mother's fault. She whispered in our ears and gave us the crazy idea. We went on one date and we kissed once. Never again," the woman next to him said. "Back to my question. Ny, what's the deal?"

"Nothing. I'm hinting," Nyota told them.

"Stop hinting and outright say it," Leonard told her. They all looked at him and he shrugged, "You are a take charge person, Nyota. If you have to be something else to get his attention, it's not worth it. So, just tell him and see where it goes. Pull the Band-Aid, doctor's orders."

"Do you play doctor with Jim?" Gaila asked. Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

"Gaila Anne Mitchell, you're lucky I can't call your brother. They're on comms blackout," Chris told her. Jim explained to him that Gary was in the Marines for four years before he took a job at the PCM Chris worked for as a field operative.

"How is that a threat, dad? Gary has less of a filter than she does," Jim told her dad.

"You would know, Jim," Gaila said to her. Leonard looked at his girlfriend.

"We never dated, he tried though. Couldn't get past dad… or Spock. I got the better Mitchell outta the deal anyway." Jim shrugged. Donna's phone rang and she excused herself from the table. Nyota and Joanna steered the conversation away from Gaila's brother and into this book that they brought.

"Lenny," Donna waved him over. Leonard got up and followed his sister back down the stairs where she was having her conversation. She hit the speaker function and told Fred to repeat what they were talking about.

"Hey, Len. Jocelyn's gone," his brother-in-law told him.

"What do you mean by gone?" Leonard asked.

"You know how I was working on the house, right?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Leonard answered. Technically, it was his house and his little girl still lived in it. Even if his ex-wife didn't want to keep it up, he was glad that somebody was. "Is something wrong?"

"I went over there about an hour ago, the place is empty except for Jojo's room. Nobody has seen Jocelyn or Clay in almost a week. I called their folks but they haven't seen 'em either. Their phones are off, their accounts were cleared out and closed. I'm pretty sure they skipped town. I called a friend over at the court house, they're gonna put through a temporary change of custody until we can figure out just what happened. I'll send it to you when I get it. You might want to contact a good lawyer, just in case. I would file for the house to. If they can't find Jocelyn, it'll legally belong to Jojo," Fred told him.

"Okay," Leonard ran his hand through his hair. Good news: Joanna doesn't have to go back to Georgia just yet, maybe not at all. Bad news: He has to tell his daughter that her mother just up and left her. He doesn't even care why Jocelyn's gone, there was an easier way to do this. She could've just given him custody or told him beforehand. "Thanks, Freddo."

"No need to thank me, brother. I, umm, took pictures of the house, inside and out, I'll send them to you when I get a minute. Kiss my niece for me," Fred said.

"Can do," Leonard said just before Donna hit the button to turn off the speaker and say goodbye to her husband. He walked back up the stairs and caught Jim's attention, she excused herself from the group and pulled him into her office.

"What happened?" she asked. Leonard relayed the whole conversation with his brother-in-law and Jim listened intently. When he was done, she nodded, "I don't know any family lawyers but the parents probably do. Donna has to go back for work, so Jo can't go with her. You're working nights when you go back on shift in a few days." Jim seemed to run a few things through her mind before she smiled, "Jo can stay here at night and I can even keep an eye on her in the mornings so you can sleep until we figure out something else. As long as that's okay with you and her."

"I can't ask you to do that, Jim," he whispered.

"You didn't. Haven't you been paying attention, Bones? I love you. There's nothing I wouldn't do to help you and you know it. And if you don't, I just gotta try harder," Jim said before pressing a kiss against the corner of his mouth.

"You love me?" he asked. Jim nodded with a bright smile on her face. Leonard smiled, "I love you too, darlin'." She wrapped her arms around his waist and he rested his chin on her head. For a moment, they just stood in her dim home office. He sighed, "I guess we gotta tell Jo what's going on. She's too smart not to notice something's up."

"I'm more worried about my dad's reaction than hers, to be honest with you. He might be able to help though. Come on," she grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the main level.

"Everything alright?" Phil asked as they walked into the room.

"Not really," Leonard told him before kneeling in front of his daughter.

"What did mom do this time?" Jo asked. He glanced at Donna and Jim before he looked at the little girl.

"You want us to leave?" Gaila asked. Leonard shook his head without breaking eye contact with his daughter.

"Jo… she left. The house is empty except for your stuff," he told her.

"That's it?" his daughter asked. "I bet they left the county."

"Why do you think that, sweetie?" Donna asked.

Joanna shrugged, "Because Clay's been talking about it forever. I don't know where, though. They could've given us a heads up, all my stuff is in Atlanta. What's the plan? Is there a plan?"

"That's all kinds of…" Chris started before pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Your ex still use McCoy?"

"Sometimes. She also uses Darnell, her maiden name and Treadway, Clay's surname," Donna answered the question that was directed at him. Jim was right, Chris was not happy, he'd have to ask his girlfriend or Phil why, later. The good thing was that Starfleet Protection International has great investigators on the payroll. Their contract with the government is for international security threats, Jim's dad could probably find out where Jocelyn went without too much trouble.

"There's a plan, sorta," Jim told Jo. Leonard explained everything to his daughter and she smiled.

"So, I get to stay with Miss Jim when you're at work and you'll figure something else out by the time school starts in a month and a half. Works for me," Joanna declared.

"Well, alright than, baby girl," he told her.

"Do you know what this means?" Gaila asked with a giddy look on her face. Jim and Ny looked at each other.

"Oh no," both women muttered.

Phil laughed, "She'll take any excuse to go shopping."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Bones has Joanna. As shocking as it seems, people actually up and leave their kids when they have custody. Legally, because Jo was with her dad, it's not abandonment but it's still all kinds of messed up.


	11. Chapter 11

"You'd actually be surprised how often something like this happens. Your daughter was right, your ex left the country," Lee Kelso, his new lawyer from Barnett, Barnett and Associates told him.

"So, you found her. Do I even want to know?" Leonard asked Jim's dad, who was sitting next to him.

"Her passport was stamped in Germany two days after Joanna got here. Then, it was stamped again in France before going through customs in Spain. They settled in a nice apartment in downtown Madrid. Apparently, Treadway was offered, and took, a position at the Bank of Spain and Jocelyn decided to go with him, she hasn't done much more than shop since she got there. They filed for a marriage license and other papers that would indicate they were staying. And because of that, nobody can make them come back," Chris said.

"What does that mean for me and Joanna?" he asked the two men.

"It means that you have a very strong case to obtain full custody of your daughter. While this isn't Georgia's legal definition of abandonment, it falls into California's and this is where you've made your residency before your former wife sent your daughter to you. It is very clear that your ex-wife had no intention of taking Joanna with her. What is also clear is that, even in her short time here, Joanna has made a home. She has a solid relationship with you, she has a home where she feels safe and she's interested in starting school here. I had a very nice conversation with her when you brought her in last week. So, I'm gonna fly out to Atlanta tomorrow where I can argue all of this with a judge in person. We have plenty of evidence, I just have to deliver it the right way," Lee told him.

"I guess I owe you both," Leonard told the two men.

"Nope. We all love that kid, it was my pleasure," Chris told him.

"This one was on the house. My mentor is the Boyce/Pike lawyer, Richard was more than happy to offer his help. He'd be here himself but his caseload wouldn't allow it, so I volunteered," Lee told him. After filling out some more paperwork, Leonard and Chris left the lawyer's office.

"Thanks again for your help with this. I know you don't particularly like me," Leonard told the older man.

"Oh, you're not so bad. I'm just a cautious person, especially when it comes to Jim. I thought you were trying to take advantage of her on that first day. I'm glad I was wrong," Chris said as they walked to their cars.

"I love her," Leonard said.

Jim's dad smiled, "I know, I can see it. Haven't seen her this happy in… ever. Just don't hurt her. Either of them, for that matter. Joanna loves Jim and Jim loves that kid something fierce. You'd never know that they've only known each other a few weeks."

* * *

"Are you gonna keep staring at me or are you planning to say something?" Jim asked without looking.

"That's creepy, darlin'." He was leaning against the door frame to her office just watching her work. He noticed that she got the cutest crease in her forehead when she was concentrating.

"The walls are glass, I saw you before you got to the door, sweetheart," she looked at him before she got up and walked around her desk. Leonard met her half way and pressed a kiss against her lips. "Hi."

"Hi, darlin'." He looked around her office, "Where's Jo?"

Jim chuckled, "Pavel's office doing calculus."

"You're kidding, right?" he asked.

"Nope," she shook her head. "Come on, I'll show you. I think Scotty's in there too." The wiz-kid's office was across the main floor from Jim's. The door was open, so they just walked in and sure enough, Joanna, Scotty and Pavel were all doing math problems on a clear whiteboard hanging from the ceiling. "See."

"Why didn't I know about this?" Leonard asked as he watched his daughter interact with the two men who were geniuses by all accounts. He always knew his kid was smart but he never knew that she was this smart.

"Maybe Jocelyn didn't care," Jim whispered. "Or maybe she didn't like the idea of sending Jo to a private school, it would've changed the child support order." He glanced at his girlfriend, she had two very good points. "You wanna get her tested? See where she really belongs in school."

"Any idea how I'd go about doing that?" he asked.

"The school district does the test. A bunch of the colleges too," Jim said. When he raised an eyebrow she smiled, "I looked it up just in case."

He smiled, "Thank you, darlin'."

"I got it," Jo yelled. Pavel checked her work and nodded.

"Da, you got that much faster than I did the first time," the kid said in his thick Russian accent.

"Daddy, Miss Jim, do you see that? I got it," Jo said as she gave her father a big hug.

"I have no idea what it means but good job, baby girl," Leonard told his daughter. "You ready to go?" She shook her head. "No? But Miss Jim was gonna take the rest of the day off and go to the park with us. Are you sure you're not ready to go?"

"Okay, but I get to work on this tomorrow. Right, Mister Pavel and Mister Monty?" Joanna said.

"Da, Miss Joanna. I will leawe it here for you," Pavel told her as Scotty nodded. Leonard chuckled, she had the whole lot of them wrapped around her little fingers.

* * *

"Ohh, ice cream. Daddy, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" his little girl asked. Jim chuckled the look on Joanna's face.

"Go ahead. Get one for Miss Jim too. Chocolate," he handed Jo a twenty and watched her run over to the small stand. "God, I love that kid."

"Me too," Jim said with a smile. "So, how'd it go with Lee?"

"Good. He's going out to Atlanta in the morning," he told her.

"I like that guy, he's a very hands on kind of lawyer. If he can do it himself, he does," she said.

"How do you know that?" Leonard asked.

"B.B.A. is one of E.G.'s clients. One of our first clients, actually. They don't usually do family law but Richard and dad have mutual friends, which is how Richard ended up as the family lawyer. I didn't think of that when you told me about your ex leaving. Did Lee say what your chances are?" Before he could answer, Joanna was back. She handed Jim a cone and gave him his change.

"Thanks, daddy," she said between licks.

"You're welcome, ladies," Leonard said before pulling them to a bench and explaining what happened in Lee's office.

"So I probably don't have to go back with her and I get to stay with you?" Joanna asked.

"It's looking that way but we got wait for the judge, baby girl," Leonard said.

"What about Miss Jim?" Jo asked.

Jim smiled, "What about me, sweetie?"

"I get to stay with you too, right?" Jim and Leonard looked at each other.

"That's up to Miss Jim, baby girl," he told his daughter.

"No matter what happens, I will always be here for you. I'm not going anywhere," Jim told his daughter, her gaze still locked on him. Leonard got that feeling in his chest. The same feeling he got the first time he saved someone's life. That feeling of being right where he belongs.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chap ran away with me. The ending was not how I intended but Jim and Bones stopped listening to me. They want what they want.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, Joanna is well ahead of her peers. We reviewed her school records from her former school and it appears that her teachers tested her for the gifted program but her mother never approved for her to move into the gifted class," Doctor Elizabeth Dehner, the coordinator for the Gifted and Talented Education Program of the San Francisco Unified School District, told him.

"Yea, we're learning a lot now that I have access to her files," he told the woman.

Lee pulled off a small miracle and got the courts in Georgia to give Leonard full custody of his daughter. If Jocelyn ever comes back, she'll have to apply for a modification. Given how she left, he doubts anyone would agree to let Joanna live with her again, especially when they look at Jocelyn's lack of actual parenting. His ex-wife literally got custody and did the bare minimum to keep it.

"I wish it didn't happen as often as it does, to be honest with you. Fortunately, you caught it before Joanna was too old to do anything about it," Doctor Dehner told him. "We tested her with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children or WISC. It's an individually administered intelligence test for children between the ages of six and sixteen and generates a Full Scale IQ score. Joanna has a score of one-forty."

"One... forty? That's... She's... She's a genius?" he asked.

"Right now, we're classifying her as near genius with the potential for full genius. If I'm to understand your information, she seems to get that from you," the woman said. His IQ was high but not that high. Jim's IQ was up there somewhere but he never bothered to ask.

"I guess," Leonard said. "So... So, what do we do? It's obvious that going to the fifth grade might not be the best idea for Jo. Going to the sixth grade might not cut it either."

"You're right, doctor. Normally, I'd advise moving the student up a grade or two, but that won't work for Joanna. She's too far ahead." She handed him a small file. "That is a comprehensive list of the best alternative and/or private high schools in the area. The ones marked in blue have a younger than average student body, students like Joanna who needed to jump a few grades at a time. Ultimately, it's up to you but I'd take that home and go over it with her, get her opinion too. I also included my number if either of you have any questions."

"Thank you, Doctor Dehner," he said as he stood up.

"You're welcome, Doctor McCoy. You have an amazing child, take care of her."

* * *

"This one has a lab. And look, they have a big science fair. What do you think, Miss Jim?" Jo asked.

"Where was this place when I was skipping grades?" Jim asked as she looked at the information Jo pulled up on Jim's laptop. "They have a technology center. And a math lab."

"Can I please go to this one, daddy? They still have space for the school year... which starts in two weeks, and its equal distance between here and Enterprise Global," his daughter said. He looked at over the info and got to all the fees and tuition before letting out a groan.

"What?" Jim asked. He just pointed. She smiled, "I'll pay for it."

"Jim…" he started but she cut him off.

"You can pay me back when she gets her first PhD. I wouldn't offer if she didn't need it. I'm sure they have scholarships but those kids probably don't have dads with rich girlfriends. I'll even make a matching donation to the school for another kid if it'll make you feel better," Jim offered.

"I don't know how you spending more money is supposed to placate me," he told her.

"It's not, not really. Look, as you are already aware, my charities of choice usually involve children. This is about Joanna getting the best education she can and I can afford to give her that. Unless you're planning to dump me and don't want Jo caught in the middle. It's too late for that, by the way. I'd pick her over you any day," Jim said with a smile and Jo gave her a high-five behind his back.

"Dump you? I trying to figure out how I can keep you forever… I did not mean to say that out loud," the doctor sighed.

"But you did, dad," Joanna quipped from next to him. He looked at the ten year old, who shrugged. "You love her. I figured it out on day one. I don't know what you're waiting for, you ain't getting any younger and she loves you back. What are you gonna do, be boyfriend and girlfriend for a long time and then get married anyway?"

"It's not that simple, baby girl," he said.

"Yes, it is," Jim and Jo said at the same time.

"Can I make one life altering decision at a time, ladies?" Leonard asked the pair. They both nodded. "Good."

* * *

"Hey, Phil, can I ask you something?" Leonard was standing next to the other doctor in the elevator.

"You have my blessing but I'd advise getting Chris' too," Phil said.

"I wasn't gonna…" It took the southerner a minute to actually put that together. "Just like that. I mean, we've known each other for… five months," Leonard said.

"It took me seventeen days to know that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Chris. Legally, we couldn't even get married here until a few years ago," Boyce said as they stepped out of the elevator. "Every day, I woke up with the love of my life waiting for the day that we could get married in our own backyard. We literally got married in our backyard. Just us, Jimmy, my mother, the judge and our dog. It was perfect. If you look at my little girl and you can't image what life is gonna be like without her in it. If your chest aches when she's not around. If your best days are the ones where you wake up with her in your arms… five months doesn't mean a damn thing. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"You think you could babysit Saturday?" Leonard asked.

"Hot date?" Phil joked.

"Actually, yes. I got a surprise for Jim but Jo is not invited," he told the older man.

"It would be my pleasure to watch over the young Miss McCoy. Text me the details," Boyce said before checking on a patient.

* * *

"Bones?" Jim called after she walked into his apartment.

"Back here, darlin'," he answered.

"What's the big emergency that couldn't wait until I got ready?" she asked as she walked through his apartment in to his bedroom. Jim stopped at the door and looked around the room with a smile forming on her features. "Bones… What is all this?"

"So, a couple days ago, you said you needed to relax for a little while. My original plan was to get you a spa day… but the idea of someone with their hands on your body for any reason other than saving your life doesn't actually sit well with me," he told her.

"Of course it doesn't. I'm assuming you've come up with a compromise?" Jim asked.

"I decided that I'm gonna give you a massage," he whispered against her ear. "Apparently, I'm good with my hands. What do you think, darlin'?"

"I think I'm overdressed for this," was her answer.

Leonard smiled, "Yes, you are. You look beautiful, as always, but it's all gotta come off." Even in jeans and a t-shirt, Jim looks good. He told Phil to send her over as soon as he and Chris got to her place. They told her that he needed her help with something before she got all made up.

"Where do you want me?" Jim asked as she pulled her clothes off.

"Bed," was the only word he could get out as his eyes lingered on her. You would think he'd never seen her body before with the way his heart skips a beat when she's undressed. It didn't help that Jim was so comfortable in her skin and she didn't feel the need to hide from him. Jim laid down on her stomach.

"This good?" she asked after she got settled.

"Uh huh," he kissed her shoulder. "You're perfect."

"I'm sure you've figured out by now that I'm not even close to perfect. I'm just good at faking perfection," Jim muttered as he began to rub circles against her neck with his –new oiled- hands.

"I don't think you're faking it," he whispered. "You're perfect to me. I mean, look at it from my side. We went from dating to you becoming Jo's female parental figure almost overnight. You don't complain about it. Hell, she's with you more than me. I don't know a lot of people would be that accepting."

"Then you've been hanging out with the wrong people," she told him. "You know my deal with family. The only one I have is by love and legal documents. I actually would've been pissed if you tried to send her back to Georgia."

"I thought about it for a second. My mother asked if I'd be willin' to let Jo stay with her but I just couldn't do it," he told her as his hands moved to her shoulders.

"Mm, good. Would've had to beat you up," Jim muttered.

"You like that?" he asked.

"Mm hmm," was the only answer he got as his hands moved down her arms.

"Good," he moved up her arms to the middle of her back. He pressed a kiss against the scar next to her spine on the left side. It was from the car accident when she was a kid.

"How is it that you haven't done this to me sooner?" Jim asked.

"No idea," Leonard chuckled as his hands moved to her hips.

"You know, you're stuck with me now, right?" she whispered.

He smiled, "Stuck? I wouldn't call it stuck, darlin'. I mean, you're beautiful, brilliant, sexy self is on my bed… naked. I'm very lucky."

"I happen to think I'm the lucky one, sweetheart," Jim told him. "Don't often get massages just for the hell of it."

"We'll have to agree to disagree," Leonard said as his hands stroked her skin. They were quiet for a few minutes before Jim sighed.

"Bones?" she asked.

"Yea, darlin'?"

"Is there any chance of you making love to me right now, because I really want you to?" Jim asked just above a whisper before she pushed herself up.

"That can be arran…" he stated but he was cut off by her lips on his. Leonard pulled away to take his shirt off while Jim's hands unbuckled his jeans. She pressed kisses against his collarbone as he kicked the denim off. He crawled onto the bed with Jim and she pushed him onto his back.

"Since when do you go commando?" she asked.

"I didn't see the point when I got out of the shower," he told her. Jim nodded but didn't say anything as she straddled him. Her bright blue eyes locked with his as she brought their bodies together with a sigh.

Jim seemed content with taking her time and he was content to let her. Leonard watched her as she moved over him with a playful smile on her lips. He reached up and pulled her lips against his. Jim let out a quiet chuckle before melting against him. Their lips and bodies moving together on pure instinct.

One of his hands gripped her hip as she moved against him, the other ran along her spine. Jim broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his. Leonard reached up to push her long blond hair out of their faces.

"Hi," Jim whispered.

"Hi, darlin'," he whispered back. Leonard looked at the woman in his arms, really looked. Her eyes telling him everything he would ever want to know.

She is so in love with him.

Yes, she's said the words and so has he but it was different this way. There was something about watching her love for him cross her features while he moved inside her that made the words seem insignificant.

There was something about the look in her eyes that told a story, their story. The one with the simple wedding and the house and a dog and Joanna playing with a little sibling or two. He could see it all in her magnetic blue eyes.

Jim could have anything, anything in the universe, but her own family was the only thing she really wanted and that look in her eyes told Leonard that she wanted it with him. What's more, despite every vow he's ever made not to get married again, he wanted to give that to her. To have that life with her.

"Marry me," was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"What?" Jim froze.

"I said 'marry me', he repeated. "I know that asking during sex is generally a bad idea but I don't mean it any less than the whole 'down on one knee with a huge diamond ring' thing." Leonard sat up and wrapped his arms around Jim. "I…" he rested his head against her chest, trying to find the words. Jim took his head in her hands and forced him to look up at her.

"We both know that while I look good expensive jewelry, I would hurt you if you brought me a huge diamond," she paused for a moment and looked around the candlelit room. "This is real," she whispered, "more real than some overrated tradition of getting down on one knee. So, if you want to ask me, ask me."

"Darlin', will you marry me?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you pregnant?" was the first thing Chris asked when Joanna left the room. The look on Jim's face was priceless, a mix between shock and confusion and hurt.

"Because that's the only way I'd ever end up married? Wow, dad. Thanks," she said with a sigh.

"Christopher Richard Pike Boyce, apologize to our daughter right now," Phil growled.

"Sorry, kid," Chris mumbled. "It's just… help me understand."

Jim nodded, "Remember what gam gam said when you got married? 'It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, you only have to answer to yourself. You're the one living your life, don't let anything that anyone says influence that.' I'm happy. While I love you and value your thoughts and opinions, I don't need your permission and papa already gave us his blessing."

"You did what!?" Chris turned his glare from Leonard to his husband. Jim chuckled but Leonard was too scared to. "You gave your blessing for them to get married?"

"Yes, I did. She's happy, Chris. They both are, that's all that matters to me," Phil said.

"Okay, Phil. But what about…" Chris paused, trying to find the right words.

"The money, you can say it," Jim offered. "It's what you're thinking… even though you know better."

"I don't want it," Leonard told the older men. "I'll sign a pre-nup if it'll make you feel better."

"No, you won't," Jim declared.

"It's a legally sound option," Chris told her as he pulled out his phone. "I'll call the lawyer and have them draw something up."

"You can sign it then. What Bones and I decide to do has nothing to do with you," Jim said to her dad. Phil was trying to play referee but it wasn't working. "I'm going for a walk. I am allowed to do that, right, dad?"

"I'm just trying to protect you, Jim. I know you're upset with me but you have to see it from my point of view," Chris told her.

"Funny, that's what Charlie said before he called you an abomination and stopped talking to you," Jim growled before grabbing her keys and walking out of the condo. Leonard was torn between going after her and staying with her parents. Chris dropped onto the couch next to Phil.

"You know she didn't mean that, Chris. But she does have a point," Phil said.

"Oh, yeah. What's that?" Chris asked.

"That your father wasn't happy with your choice either," Leonard said. "She told me. Funny thing is, from what I see, you did good. Phil's all kinds of awesome and he talks about you like you hung the stars in the sky." The southerner sighed. "I did the whole parental approved wedding thing… it lasted long enough for my ex to have a baby and the whole thing to fall apart. The benefit of being married before, I know what I want. Jim's it for me whether she marries me or not. I'll do anything to make her, and Jo, happy."

Chris looked at him for a long minute before he nodded, "I'm still gonna talk her into a pre-nup."

"You can try. I don't want anything from her and I'm more than happy to put it on paper but I doubt she'll let me. She's stubborn," Leonard said.

"She gets it from him," Phil quipped. "Ring?"

"I wasn't exactly planning to ask her last night, so not yet," he told the two men.

"Go non-traditional on the ring," Chris muttered.

"I know, she said she'd kick my ass if I brought her a big diamond," the younger man said.

"Her ring size is six point five," Chris said with a sigh. "Take Gaila... No take Nyota, she knows Jim's style more than the rest of us."

"Does this mean you aren't gonna have me killed?" Leonard asked his future father-in-law.

"You love her and she loves you. If I had you killed she'd hate me. Am I happy about this? No, not at the moment... maybe after I get used to the idea. Will I stand in your way? No. She's an adult and I know what it's like to love someone with everything you are and have to choose between your heart and your family. I would never make her choose." Chris paused. "Just be warned, I've buried a lot of bodies, one more won't bother me."

"Understood, sir," Leonard said just as Jim walked back into the condo. "You okay, darlin'."

"Well, you didn't kill each other, so that's good," she said as she sat on the arm of his chair. "Dad…" Chris put his hand up and Jim stopped talking.

"I love you, kiddo. I always have, I always will. I may never understand why you do some of the stuff you do but I do understand love, so I get it. Just don't get married next week, okay?" Chris asked.

"Okay," Jim said with a smile.

* * *

"Ladies, I found it," Leonard told Gaila and Nyota. He asked both women to go ring shopping with him and they jumped at the chance. Gaila kept trying to convince him to go big but Nyota would head her off with the very valid point that Jim would hate a big ring.

"What are we looking at?" Gaila asked with a smile. He pointed to this little diamond star. It was five stones that equaled half a carat, set in fourteen carat white gold. "It's small."

"It's not that small. Besides, it's pretty and very Jim, that's the important part," Nyota countered.

"She doesn't want a big ring, for the millionth time. This one reminds me of the earrings she was wearing when we met. They were these little stars and they sparkled in the sunlight. I remember looking at them when she drove," he said.

"The silver and diamond ones?" He nodded at Nyota's question. "I know those earrings, Spock gave them to her on her twenty-fifth birthday. She has a lot of star earrings but those are her favorite pair," Nyota said. "And you know that… I knew you were hiding a sap under all that hot southern charm."

"You keep that to yourself, Miss Uhura, I got a reputation to protect," he told the woman. She laughed just as the jeweler came over. To say the man was a little underwhelmed by his choice was an understatement but Leonard only had to make one person happy with this purchase and she wanted a small ring.

* * *

"I have a random question for you," Jim said when he sat next to her on the couch.

"I have an answer… I hope," he replied.

"It's about your apartment. Jo lives here and you practically live here too. I was thinking that maybe you'd want to live here instead of paying that outrageous rent," she said as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

It was something that he'd been thinking about but he hadn't had the chance to bring it up. Part of him didn't want to rush her, which worked out spectacularly since they were now engaged, and the other part of him was worried that she'd say no to the idea of him moving in. Because Jo mainly lived with Jim, he had keys and security codes. When he switched to the day shift, instead of Jo spending her nights at his place, he stayed with his girls at Jim's.

"Is that okay with you? I mean, I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable or anything," he muttered.

"You're kidding, right? You know that I wouldn't have brought it up if it made me uncomfortable. I like having you here. Both of you," Jim said. "I like having a reason to come home at night. I love waking up in your arms. I even like cooking for you guys, though there are only four things I can actually cook outside of breakfast food."

"I'll teach you some stuff, darlin'," he offered.

"Hmm, Bones and food… I don't know if I'd actually pay attention in that class," she sighed.

"Oh, Jim, I'm sure I could keep your attention," he whispered against her ear before pressing a kiss behind it. "I would love to live with you. I have one condition."

"Name it," she said.

"We split everything. I will not live off of you, I don't care how much you make," he told her.

"I would never expect you to be a kept man, Bonesy. It's a deal."

"Okay. Now…" he shifted and pulled Jim's legs across his lap, "I got something for you."

"Oooo, a present," Jim said.

"Sorta," he pulled the small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I know that it's not the biggest ring in the world…"

"I would hurt you if it was," she quipped as she opened the box. For a second, she didn't say anything. Then, she smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek, "It's perfect."

"I noticed that you have a thing for stars. When I saw it, I knew it belonged to you, darlin'." He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto Jim's left ring finger before pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles.

"Gaila must be having a fit," Jim declared.

"We went shoe shopping afterwards, It's all good," he told her.

Jim laughed, "Charming the besties… not bad, doctor."

"I have my moments, Miss Kirk."


	14. Chapter 14

"Come on, Leo," Scotty called from behind him. The doctor held up his hand in that 'gimme a minute' gesture. His lips were a bit busy kissing his girl. Gaila, Janice and Nyota just laughed as the guys tried to rush them.

"You might as well wait a minute, Monty," Ny muttered.

Hikaru chuckled, "We'll leave him here. Some of us don't get laid every day."

"Hey, there are children in the room," Joanna declared. That got Jim's attention and she pulled away to laugh at the ten year old.

"Okay, mini-Bones." Jim looked up at him, "Have fun… but not too much fun."

"Yes, ma'am," Leonard said before giving her another quick kiss and letting Scotty tug on his arm.

"Come on laddie, it's not like ye dinnae live here anyway," the Scot grumbled.

"Have a good night, ladies," Leonard called.

"We will," they all replied.

"Bye, daddy," Jo called as the door closed.

"I swear…" Hikaru muttered with a laugh as they stood in the elevator. Leonard chuckled but didn't say anything.

Tonight was guy's night out and girls' night in. The ladies were gonna watch movies and eat junk food while Leonard, Hikaru and Scotty were meeting Spock, Greg and Pavel at a bar near Spock's place. Like Jim, the other owner of E.G. didn't go crazy when they started making money. His place was nice but it's in a mostly normal, slightly up-scale, neighborhood that wasn't far from the condo.

The three men walked into the establishment and looked around for their friends. Leonard spotted Greg first, because the man is huge, and nudged Scotty and Hikaru in his direction. The bartender waved as they passed him and Leonard was sure they came in here all the time. Especially when the barmaid came over and rattled off their usual drinks.

"And we got a new guy. Hi, I'm Chrystal. What'll it be, handsome?" she asked him.

"Woodford, neat," he told her.

She smiled, "Ah, a bourbon man who knows his stuff. I'll be back in a flash." The guys all looked at him.

"What?" the southerner asked.

"She's flirting with you," Greg said.

Leonard shrugged, "I didn't notice." If someone asked what the woman looked like, he's have no clue. She has dark hair but that's all he picked up.

"We can see that," Hikaru asked. "Wait until we tell Jim. The conversation will go something like, 'She was flirting with him and he didn't even notice'."

"Then, she'll get that look on her face that she gets when she's thinking about you… the dreamy, lowey dowey one and ask, 'Really? You're just messing with me'," Pavel added in a slightly higher pitched voice.

"Aye, and then we'll say something like, 'Ye should've seen him, it was like she wasn't even there'," Scotty said. Leonard laughed.

"Ya'll are a mess," he told the men who worked with Jim.

"We have our moments," Greg told him. "It's just… I met Jim through her dad, so I'm a tad overprotective of her. I'll kill for her if I have to… I don't care who the threat is."

"I already got the shovel talk from Chris. You're intimidating but that man is fucking scary," the doctor said just as Chrystal came back with their drinks. Everyone but the Russian nodded.

"He's not scary to me," Pavel said as he and Spock switched drinks; the kid taking the long island iced tea setting the real iced tea in front of Spock, who doesn't drink. When Leonard gave Pavel a look, he smiled, "I'm Russian, I'we been drinking since I was fourteen, da. They don't let me hawe more than two."

"You're an adult, I ain't gonna stop ya," Leonard told the kid. "And Chris ain't scary to you because Jim would never date you. Not that you aren't a good looking kid or anything but she likes 'em a little older than her, not a decade younger."

"I gotta agree. I would've asked the lass out but her dad glared at me and I lost the nerve. I'm glad we didn't date, she's one of my best friends. I dinnae know what I'd do without her," Scotty told them.

"She's a tiny bit older than me but that wasn't gonna stop me from trying. I never got the chance to ask though, she was dating that Ben guy," Hikaru muttered. "After they broke up… I didn't want to be _that guy_ who asks his friend out after a breakup."

"Benjamin Finney. I do not like him," Spock growled. Leonard nodded his agreement. Jim told him all about her ex. Benjamin Finney was a records officer for S.P.I. until he fucked up by having sex with an intern in his office during business hours. The man lost Jim and his job in the span of forty-five minutes. Security had to keep Chris from beating the crap out of him in the middle of their offices.

"You work with her papa," Scotty said. "Don't cheat on her. And if you do, don't do it somewhere where he can find you."

"I won't cheat at all," Leonard told the other man. "Finding my wife fucking another man in my bed is something that I won't ever forget. I got over it but I'll never forget it. I would never do that to Jim, she's all I need. Now, can we talk about someone else's love life please? Like the eyes Spock and Ny make at each other. Or Greg's massive crush on Gaila."

"I do not…" Greg started but he couldn't finish the sentence, they'd all know he was lying. "What do I do? She's so… perfect and gorgeous and I'm… not."

"Gaila's not as high maintenance as she appears. We had a nice conversation when she and Ny went with me last week. You know what she wants?" Leonard asked. When Greg shook his head, the doctor smiled, "She just wants a guy who will take the time to see under all the designer stuff to the real her. That's it. Everything she buys… it's with money she earned. She'd never put herself in debt over shoes and she really loves to sing. I promised to go to karaoke with her when we get the time. Maybe you should offer to go instead."

"How is it that we've known these girls for years but you're like the chick whisperer?" Hikaru asked.

"It's because you've known them for years. You don't want to mess up your friendships by asking them this stuff and since I'm with Jim they aren't worried about talking to me about it. That and I have a big sister who gave her friends tons of advice growing up. I know way too much girly stuff," he told the tall Asian.

"Fair enough. So, Spock and Ny?" Hikaru asked.

"I do not know what you are talking about," Jim's best friend told them.

"Liar liar pants on fire," Pavel muttered. "Ewen Joanna knows what we're talking about." They all burst into laughter. His daughter was very observant and she called it. She also mentioned an attraction between Scotty and Pavel, despite the twenty year age difference, but she wasn't gonna bring it up to them.

"You know how many guys would love to date that woman?" Hikaru asked. When Spock didn't say anything, Hik sighed, "A lot."

"I do not believe that Nyota seeks to interact with me socially," Spock told them.

"Yes she does, she's just waiting for you to make a move." When they all looked in his direction, Leonard smiled, "Jim asked her outright. Here's what's gonna happen; Greg, you're gonna ask Gaila out. Take her somewhere with nice music, have a drink or two. Spock, you're gonna ask Nyota out and take her to a nice dinner. If you don't, I'm gonna hook them both up with some of the single doctors at the hospital." The look on both men's faces was priceless.

"What's it gonna be, lads?" Scotty asked. Both men pulled out their phones and called the girls.

"Now, you," Leonard pointed at Pavel, "are gonna tell him," he pointed at Scotty, "how you feel. And he's gonna tell you how he feels." The two men stared at each other before Scotty made a motion to go to a quieter part of the bar.

"And then there were two," Hikaru muttered.

"Now, you. What are you doing? You think if you flirt and fuck the whole city, you'll find the girl for you?" Leonard sighed, "You won't. She's right under your nose. All you gotta do is show her that you're worth her taking a shot on."

"I don't know how," Hikaru said just above a whisper.

"Well, for starters, stop going home with bar flies. Then, talk to her. Not that flirty jackass shit either. Actually talk to her. Compliment her. Get her coffee or offer to walk her to her car at the end of the day. Janice is a sweet girl, you gotta show her that she's not gonna be just another notch on the bedpost."

"I can do that. You'll help me if I need it, right?"

Leonard smiled, "Yea, I'll help if you need it." He chuckled.

"What?" Hikaru asked.

"Jim made a comment about you guys being her brothers... I guess you're my brothers now too."


	15. Chapter 15

"I bet you twenty that I can get her number," Doctor Geoffrey M'Banga, the newest addition to the trauma unit told him. Leonard looked at the woman in question and shook his head.

"Nope, not gonna happen. I can't wait to see you try though," the southerner said. Geoff smiled and walked over the woman, after a few minutes, he came back.

"You owe me twenty bucks, man," the Kenyan-American told him. Leonard looked at the number on the paper and laughed.

"Call it," Leonard instructed. M'Banga raised an eyebrow but dialed the number. After a few seconds, Leonard's phone rang. He wasn't surprised to see M'Banga's name pop up. "Hello."

"How…?" Geoff looked at his phone before he looked over at the blonde. She was leaning against the nurse's station laughing with Chapel, Leonard's favorite nurse.

"I told you that she wouldn't give you her number. She's my fiancée," Leonard told his new friend before they walked over to his girl. "You couldn't resist, could you, darlin'?"

"Of course not. The look on his face when your phone rang was priceless," Jim said before leaning in to give him a quick kiss. Leonard formally introduced the pair.

Geoff chuckled, "Well played, future Misses McCoy."

"I have my moments," Jim said with a smile. "You guys got time for lunch?" Both men looked at Chapel.

"Go, I'll call you if any emergencies come in," the nurse told them. Jim promised the other blonde that they'd bring her something back from the Thai place around the corner, where they were going.

"So, how'd he get his hands on a woman like you?" Geoff asked once they were in the restaurant and seated at a table. Jim told the story while she leaned against Leonard's shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her, absentmindedly drawing swirls on her arm.

"It was destiny," Jim said when she finished the story.

"That so, darlin'?" he asked her with a smile.

"Yes. I mean, so many things had to happen to get us both in those two seats during a storm. I mean, I was supposed to be on an earlier flight. And there's the fact that you knew papa. Or that he mentioned you to me. Or that you hate flying and I decided to drive back to Cali even though I could've easily stayed at a hotel," she offered.

"I think she's right. You guys got that vibe like you've known each other for decades, not months," the other doctor told them.

Jim smiled, "I like him. Can we keep him?"

"Now, darlin', you can't take everyone in," he told her.

"Yes, she can," Geoff said. "I'm amazing, if I do say so myself." M'Banga launched into a story about how amazing he was when their phones rang. It was Chapel calling him and texting Geoff.

"We got go, darlin'," Leonard told his fiancée when he hung up.

"I'll have them pack it up for you guys and I'll drop it off with Christine. Go save lives," she told him before giving him a kiss.

"Yes, ma'am," he kissed her again before he and Geoff left.

"Where can I get one of those?" the other doctor asked as they jogged back to the hospital.

"Don't know," Leonard told him with a smile. "I still don't know how I got that lucky."

* * *

"Shouldn't you be done for the day?" Phil asked Leonard. The younger man was still at the hospital nearly two hours after his shift ended. His patient was giving him a run for his money. Every time he thought the woman was stable, she'd crash. He's brought her back three times but, according to cardio, her heart might not be strong enough to carry her through the night. Leonard couldn't bring himself to leave. When he told Jim's papa, the other man smiled. "I've had my fair share of those."

"You're not gonna tell me to go home?" Leonard asked. If he was back in Georgia, that's exactly what Edward, Jocelyn's father, would do. He was fully expecting Phil to do the same.

"Nope. You're a doctor and your patient needs you. I can guarantee that Jim and Jo understand that," Phil told him.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"They're behind you," the other doctor whispered. Leonard turned around and, sure enough, the two people he loved more than anything in the world were standing behind him.

"Darlin'…" he started. Jim gave him a quick kiss, cutting him off.

"You didn't eat today, did you?" Jim asked. He opened his mouth to lie but he couldn't do it. Jim did drop off food for him, Geoff and Christine but he and Geoff let the nurses have their lunch when they realized how long their surgeries were gonna take. She chuckled, "You're worse than papa."

"We brought you dinner from that Italian place we all like, daddy. There's extra for Papa Phil too. How's your patient?" Joanna asked him. That's when he noticed the bag his ten year old was holding.

"Touch and go. I don't know if she'll make it 'til morning," he told them without giving any info that violates privacy laws.

"You did your best, right?" his daughter asked. He nodded. Joanna smiled, "Then you did everything you could do."

"You should listen to your kid. I hear she's a genius," Phil quipped.

"Are you ladies staying?" he asked them.

"Nope," Jim sighed. "Mini Bones has some homework to finish before bed. We just wanted to make sure you ate today. I swear, I'm gonna have papa give you a feeding tube if you don't stop skipping meals."

"What would I do without you two?" he asked.

"Starve," they both replied at the same time.

"Never go outside," Joanna said.

"Sleep alone," Jim added.

"Be miserable overall. You can't live without us," his little girl told him.

"That is very true, ladies," he said. "Guess it's a good thing that I don't want to live without you. Either of you."

"We know," Jim and Jo were in sync today, it was kind of adorable.

His girls stayed for a few more minutes before leaving him to take care of his patient. He had a late dinner with Phil in his patient's room. It was almost one in the morning when she decided to fight and her vitals stabilized for the first time in the twelve hours she's been in his care. He left her under Phil's watchful eye and went home to get a couple hours of sleep. He took a quick shower and checked on Jo before he crawled into bed with Jim. Even in her sleep, she responded to him. She wrapped her arm around his waist and pressed her face against his neck. Leonard wrapped his arms around his future wife and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Will I ever get to meet this woman, or do I have to wait until you bring her home for the wedding?" his mother asked.

"What makes you think we're getting married in Georgia?" It was a good question.

"So, you meet this girl and forget where you come from? Leonard Horatio McCoy, you would do that to your mama?" the woman who gave birth to him asked.

"Mama, I got married in Georgia before, I have no inclination to do it again. It's not about forgetting where I'm from, it's about letting the woman I love do whatever she wants for her first and only wedding. I love you but there's no way in hell I'm getting married in the same church where I married the she-devil. I can't do it," he told his mother. She seemed to consider his words for a few minutes.

"Well, does she have a plan?" his mama asked.

"Not yet. I know that she wants to keep it small, just friends and family. There's this landmark, the Haas-Lilienthal House, that's where she wants to have the wedding. Since we don't have a date, we haven't stopped by yet but I've seen pictures and it's kinda perfect, mama," Leonard said as he pulled into the staff parking lot.

"You sound happy, Lenny," she whispered.

"I am happy. You should come see, I'll reserve you a plane ticket," he told her.

"I couldn't," she told him.

He chuckled, "Yes, you could. I'm serious. I'll call the airline and reserve you a ticket, come visit. We have the space, you can see Jo and meet Jim. And maybe she can show you where she wants to get married, see if it's on the level. I just got to work, I gotta go. I love you, mama."

"I love you too, Lenny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Haas-Lilienthal House is a real San Fran landmark.


	16. Chapter 16

" _Doctor, doctor give me the news, I've got a bad case of lovin' you_ ," Jim sang slightly off key. Everyone looked at him and tried not to laugh.

"You're on speaker, Robert Palmer, and I'm in surgery," he told his fiancée.

"Well, hello, all you wonderful medical professionals. What's up, Bonesy?" God, he loves that woman.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Geoff asked.

"J. Geoffery M'Benga! Hi, honey," Jim greeted the other doctor.

"Hey, love. When you gonna leave this idiot for me?" the other doctor asked.

"Never. Sorry, I love Bones way too much for that," she replied.

"No such thing as loving me too much," Leonard said with a smile she couldn't see. "I need a favor, Jimmy."

She chuckled, "The kind of favor where I pick up your mother from the airport because you're still in surgery and can't do it yourself?"

"That would be the favor, darlin'. I'll make it up to you," he said.

"Ooo, that sounds promising," she said.

"We're still on speaker, Jim," Leonard warned.

"Oh please, they're all adults. I bet there are plenty of rumors going around about you. I can help with one of those; yes, ladies, his hands are legendary," Jim said. Leonard could feel his ears turned bright red as the women –and some of the guys- in the O.R. snickered.

"I'm gonna get ya for that, darlin'. Just you wait," he said.

"Is that a threat or an invitation?" Jim asked.

"You'll have to wait and see. I gotta go," he told her.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get home. I love you," she said.

Leonard smiled, "I love you too."

"Go save lives," Jim told him.

"Yes, ma'am," Leonard said before giving the intern who was holding his phone a nod to end the call.

Geoff chuckled, "Ladies and gentlemen, the future Misses Leonard McCoy. Man, you seriously need to knock her up. That woman is gonna make some insanely pretty, genius, silly babies." Leonard couldn't really argue with that.

"One thing at a time, Geoff."

* * *

Leonard leaned against the entrance to the kitchen for a whole five minutes before anyone even noticed he was there. Jim about jumped out of her skin when she spotted him.

"I should kick you," she said before leaning in to give him a kiss.

"I like this better. Gimme another one," he whispered. Jim smiled before she stepped into his arms and gave him a lingering kiss. "Whatcha making?"

"Your favorite. Get over here and hug your mama." He smiled as he stepped further into the kitchen and did what he was told, wrapping his mom in a big hug. She leaned back a little to look at his face before she smiled, "You look good, Lenny."

"I feel good, mama," he told her. "Dinner smells amazin'."

"It wasn't me, Jim cooked," his mother said. Leonard looked around the kitchen. Jim could cook but there's no way she made his favorite without some help.

"You taught Jim how to make smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes from scratch…" he took a deep breath, "And peach cobbler?" His mama nodded.

"I did, she's a quick learner," Misses Eleanor McCoy told him. That was very true, Jim liked learning new things. "Her folks are gonna be here in a couple minutes, go get cleaned up."

"Yes, ma'am," he said before giving his mama a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

"You think they'll notice if we leave?" Jim whispered in his ear. His mama and her parents were civil enough but the war between the southern traditionalist and the west coast progressives was brewing. Jim, Leonard and Joanna were just gonna be caught in the crossfire if they stuck around. He shook his head. "In a few minutes, go to Jo's room."

Leonard didn't argue with his fiancée, he just watched as she cleared the empty plates, whispering to his daughter when she was close enough. Joanna smiled and nodded before she got up to help. They staying in the kitchen for a little while and he took that as his queue to go to his daughter's room. He excused himself but the parents at the table barely acknowledged him.

He was in his daughter's room for a minute when Jim and Jo joined him, carrying three bowls between the two of them. Peace cobbler and vanilla ice cream.

"They didn't even notice you, did they?" he asked. Jo shook her head.

"Nope," Jim answered as she typed something into Joanna's computer and turned on the television.

"How'd you do that?" Leonard asked.

"All the electronics in the house are on the network. Mama wrote a code so that she can turn stuff off and on from any computer in the condo," Jo told him. Leonard looked at his daughter before he looked at Jim, she froze. "What?"

"You called me 'mama'," Jim whispered.

"Oh. Is that okay? I'm sorry if…" Joanna was cut off by Jim wrapping her arms around her smaller frame.

"It's more than okay with me, sweetie," the blonde told his ten year old. Leonard thought it was wise to just stay out of it; Jim and Jo's relationship was their own. After a few minutes they let each other go and Jim started a movie.

* * *

_"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder todaay. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam_..." the man on the screen said. It wasn't exactly Leonard's type of movie but he didn't mind, not with his daughter snuggled against his left side and his fiancée snuggled against his right.

"'And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...'" Phil said from the door. "'So tweasure your wuv.' I haven't watched The Princess Bride since… God. Before you went to MIT, kid."

"Still one of my favorites. They still going back and forth up there?" Jim asked her papa. The older man nodded before he stepped into the room, sat on the end of the bed and leaned back against Jim's legs to watch the rest of the movie with them. When it was over, they changed to Finding Nemo.

Leonard only made it a third of the way through before he fell asleep.

* * *

"I see you didn't kill each other," Leonard told his mother and Chris when he walked into the living room.

"Yea. Well I see where you get all your conviction from. That woman could convince the pope that he needed to repent," Chris said. Phil and Jo just laughed from the kitchen.

"He's alright, I suppose," Eleanor said.

"Where's Jim?" he asked the other people in the condo with a chuckle.

"Getting dressed," Joanna said. "This sucks. You have the day off but mama and I are stuck going to work and school."

"Want me and nana to come have lunch with you?" he asked his daughter. She nodded. "Consider it done, baby girl."

"I haven't had lunch at work with Jim in a while, maybe I'll do that too," Chris said.

"Do what?" Jim asked as she descended the last of the stairs to the upper level of the condo. He explained what they were talking about. Jim smiled and kissed her dad on the cheek, "I would love to have lunch with you, daddy. What are you gonna do with your day, Bonesy?"

"Hang out with my mama. Show her around. You know, the usual," he told his fiancée. "What are you gonna do?"

Jim chuckled, "Oh, you know, run a multimillion dollar company, the usual."

* * *

"Okay, mama, stop," he groaned. Jim laughed. For some reason, his mother thought that bringing some of his baby pictures to San Fran with her was a good idea. As embarrassing as this was, his mother made it worse when she showed off pictures of a bathing baby Leo.

"You're so cute, Bonesy," Jim said.

"I thought you were on my side, darlin'?" Leonard asked with a tiny pout.

"I'm always on your side," Jim replied.

"You act like she haven't see everything already," his mother said.

Jim pressed a kiss behind his ear, "You wanna see some of my baby pictures?"

"No… Yes," he told her.

"Which is it? I could totally have dad show you what I was like as a baby," she offered.

"You'd do that?" Leonard asked.

"I have nothing to hide from you," Jim said. "Besides, I was a cute baby."


	17. Chapter 17

Somehow, Jim convinced his mother to stay in town for Thanksgiving. So, that chilly Thursday, Leonard and his girls went over to the Pike/Boyce house to help cook. Well, mama was probably the only one who was gonna help cook. Jim already made the date and walnut cookies -a dozen of which he already ate- that her mother used to bake when she was a kid. Leonard was gonna watch football with Phil, Monty and Pavel.

"Mister Monty! Pasha!" Joanna yelled as soon as they walked into the house. The girl practically tackled the Russian wiz-kid and if it wasn't for Scotty they would've hit the deck.

"Hey, Jo," both men said before the three of them started talking about something electronic at the speed of light.

"We might as well leave them alone," Jim chuckled. "I swear that kid talks more tech than I do."

"Is she gonna be okay with them?" his mother asked.

"Yea. That's Montgomery Scott, the chief engineer/technical officer at E.G. and Pavel Chekov… I don't actually know what his title at the company is. But they're Jim's friends and, from what I can tell, they're together," Leonard told his mother.

"He's the chief of systems security. And you know they're together, you facilitated it," Jim said. When his mother looked at him, Jim relayed what the boys told her about their night out. "That's why Ny and Cupcake aren't here. Greg is with Gaila at the Mitchell's and Ny went to Alberta with Spock."

"You never told me that Spock was Canadian," he said.

"Half. His mom's from Seattle and his dad's from Vulcan, Alberta, Canada; he has dual citizenship. Janice is in Oklahoma and Hik will probably stop by later to have dinner again, his family lives on the other side of the bridge," she told him. "I'm gonna go see if dad needs any help."

"I'll go with you," his mother told Jim and the two women headed to the kitchen. Leonard walked into the den where Phil was sitting with an older woman watching Jo, Pavel and Scotty with wonder and amusement on their faces.

"It's creepy that she can understand them," Phil said. "I mean, they're hard enough to understand with the accents but she actually knows what they're talking about."

"I think Jim and Pavel have been teaching her some stuff on the computer. Don't ask me to explain it," Leonard told the man. The woman said something to Phil in Italian.

"Mom, really?" Phil asked. Leonard was sure he didn't want to know. "Leonard, this is my mother, Isabella. Mom, this is Jim's fiancé, and one of my best surgeons, Doctor Leonard McCoy."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Leonard said to Jim's grandma.

"That girl went and got herself a southern doctor," the woman said. "If I pay you, will you gimme a strip tease?"

"Stop it, gam. He only strips for me," Jim said from behind him with a chuckle. She handed him and Phil a beer each before giving them both a kiss on the cheek and sitting between them with a beer of her own. "Who's winning?"

"No score yet," Phil muttered. The Dallas Cowboys were playing the Carolina Panthers. They all decided to back the Panthers since the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers weren't playing. The 49ers rivalry with the Cowboys prevented the Kirk/Pike/Boyce family from even thinking about rooting for Dallas.

"What happened to you helping Chris, darlin'?" he asked.

"Your mom's helping. I can't do much more than prep… Monty and Pavel helped him do all that already. It's fine by me, I'd rather watch the game with papa," she answered.

"You like football?" Leonard asked. How did he not know that?

"No. She just likes being with her papa and my boy likes football. What about you, Leonard? What do you like?" Grandma Bella asked in a flirty tone. Jim and Phil tried not to laugh but even he was having a hard time.

"Well, Grandma Bella, I like baseball. And I played basketball in high school," Leonard answered.

"His mom has pictures of him in uniform, it's really cute," Jim added. "I have a few of them in the cloud." She sighed, "Err, electronic file storage for those of you who don't talk tech."

"How'd you manage that?" he asked.

"I have a scanner," she said. The look on Jim's face told him that she had more than a few pictures of him saved to the cloud. He reminded his fiancée that she promised to show him her baby pictures. Phil smirked as he hopped up and left the room. A minute later, he came back carrying a dark purple photo album.

"We don't know the stories behind most of these but Jim's in there," Phil said as he handed Leonard the book.

"Go ahead," Jim said with a smile. Leonard opened to the first page and the first page wasn't Jim at all. It was a beautiful blonde woman that looked like she could be Jim's big sister.

"My mother. Winona," Jim whispered. He nodded as he looked at the picture next to that.

"Your father?" Leonard asked even though he knew the answer. Jim had this man's eyes and smile.

"George senior," she said. The next set of pictures were of a baby boy who looked like Jim's father with lighter hair. George junior. Leonard smiled and turned the page. He ran a finger along the words on the page: Jamison Teresa.

"You were a cute baby," he said. Jim nodded but didn't say anything. That's when he noticed the stars drawn in the corners of the pages. "Your mom liked stars?"

"Actually, it was my dad. He had a telescope and everything," she whispered as she flipped the pages back to her father and pointed to something in the corner of the photo; his telescope. "They did rockets in Sam's nursery, mom figured I could have stars. At least, that's what they told me and Sam. They would've liked you." Leonard looked at his fiancée and saw the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Ah, shit, I'm sorry, darlin'. I didn't realize…" he started but she shook her head.

"It's okay. Thanksgiving always gets to me… Christmas too. Mom always went big on holidays," Jim said. Leonard could understand that, certain things made him miss his dad more too. He closed the book and handed it back to Phil.

"It sucks," he muttered as he wrapped his arm around his girl.

Jim chuckled, "Yea, it does. Could be worse, at least we got each other."

"That's very true, darlin'," the southerner said.

"Ahh, get a room," Scotty told them.

"Says the man I caught making out it the storage closet with the wiz-kid," Jim quipped. Joanna looked at Scotty then Pavel before she laughed.

"I knew it," his daughter declared. Pavel didn't say anything but Leonard could see the blush creeping up the kid's neck and cheeks. Scotty opened his mouth to say something but he stopped himself and shook his head just as the doorbell rang.

"It's open," Jim, Phil and Chris called out at the same time.

"Well, hello, people," Geoff said as he stepped into the room a minute later.

"Well, hello to you too, handsome," Grandma Bella told the other doctor.

"Uh oh," Jim said under her breath.

"Who is this beautiful young woman, Phil didn't mention a sister," Geoff said.

"You thought it was a good idea to put these two in the same room?" Jim whispered to Phil.

"At least Hikaru's not here," Jim's papa told her with a shrug.

"Yet," she said. Jim, Phil and Leonard looked at each other as Geoff flirted with Grandma Bella. "I'm gonna need something stronger than beer." Leonard and Phil nodded.

"Me too," the doctors said at the same time.

* * *

"I can't move," Jim mumbled from where she was laying on the floor with Joanna, Monty, Hikaru and Pavel, her head on Leonard's leg.

"That means we did it right," Chris told her from his spot next to Phil. Hikaru showed up for his second dinner with them and they all ate a lot of good food. His mother and Grandma Bella were talking quietly to themselves and the rest of them were about to drop into a food coma while some movie played on the big television. "You're all welcome to stay the night. You guys will have to sleep down here because Gam and Miss Elle get the guest room and Jim's room."

"Just cover me with a blanket and I'll be fine," Hikaru muttered. Monty grunted but didn't say anything. From what Leonard could see, Pavel and Joanna were already asleep. Now he understood why Jim had them pack an overnight bag.

"Best. Thanksgiving. Ever," Geoff declared.

Leonard ran his fingers through Jim's hair and smiled, "Yea, it is."


	18. Chapter 18

His fiancée running out of the condo in the wee hours of a Saturday morning was not good. She mumbled something about the server, quickly pulled on some clothes and left. Leonard forced himself to go back to sleep but he woke up early. After getting dressed for work, he called Jim. She was fine but he was gonna have to drop Jo off with her before his shift. Not surprising, his pint-sized adult was already dressed when he went to wake her up. The pair stopped by the bakery/café on their way to E.G.'s office. The whole group was in the conference room.

"Hey, guys," Jim said when she saw them. "You brought us coffee. Thank you."

"Well, sorta. We got some of that spiced orange tea for Mister Spock and Aunt Ny. Chai Tea Lattes for you, Mister Hik and Aunt Gaila. I don't know why they call those lattes, there's no coffee in them. Anyway, a hazelnut mocha for Pasha. Regular coffee for Cupcake and Mister Monty. And a hot coco for me. We also got some pastries too. Who tried to hack the server?" Joanna asked.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Leonard asked his daughter.

"Only thing that would have them all here super early on a Saturday morning. Am I right, someone tried to hack in?" Jo looked at Jim.

"You are, sweetie. We haven't figured out who it was yet. They didn't get in. Spock and I ran a back-hack but it just lead us to a spoofed I.P. address. Reminds me of the good old days when it was just the two of us in that apartment," Jim said with a smile.

"I would prefer it if your sense of nostalgia was not triggered by an attempted hack into our system," Spock said.

Jim chuckled, "True."

"Um... Back-hack? Spoofed I.P. address?" he muttered.

"Oh, you're lucky you're so hot," Gaila said, causing everyone else to chuckle.

"A back-hack is a way of identifying the origin of the attack. It's kinda like reverse engineering a hack. We can spot electronic bread crumbs… bits of information that an attacker leaves behind in order to find where it started," Hikaru said.

"I.P. spoofing is just a way of faking your I.P. address with another one," Pavel offered. When he gave the kid a look, Joanna chuckled.

"Internet Protocol or I.P. address is a numerical label assigned to each device on a computer network that uses the Internet for communication. It's like the return address when you mail a letter," Joanna explained. Leonard thought about it for a second.

"So, you followed the breadcrumbs, like Hansel and Gretel, only to find a fake version of their house," he said, hoping he has a grasp on the explanation they gave him.

Jim smiled, "That's it exactly. It's frustrating. We're trying to see if we can figure out what they were after but I won't hold my breath, we handle a lot of info."

"No kidding. I wish I could stick around but I gotta get to the hospital for my shift," the doctor said. He looked around the room, "You guys better not spend all day in here. I will sedate the whole lot of you and hook you all up to I.V.s. Make sure you're drinking water and don't skip lunch."

"Yes, doc," they all replied.

"You're bossy, I like it," Jim said before she gave him a kiss.

"I mean it, Jim. Don't make me come down here and knock you all out. You've already been here for three hours and it's only five twenty in the morning," Leonard told his fiancée. Their friends were smart enough not say anything.

"I promise. We won't stay all day. As soon as we're done checking the firewalls, we'll go," she told him. "Besides, I have a date tonight with my hot fiancé. You're really not gonna tell me where we're goin'?"

"You'll see. Just dress warm, we'll be outside for a little while," he said before giving her another kiss. "Later, Jo. Bye, guys."

"Bye, doc," the whole group called.

* * *

"Can I open my eyes now?" Jim asked him.

"Go ahead, darlin'," he told her and waited as she looked around. Her eyes landed on the telescope next to him.

"No way. Please tell me you didn't go buy a telescope," she said.

"I didn't, it's a rental. Apparently, this is the best time of year to see the Orion Nebula. Though, I have no idea what I'm looking for," he said. Jim smiled and looked the sky for a minute.

"Over there. See, those stars?" she asked. He followed her finger and nodded. Jim smiled, "That's Orion's Belt. M42, or the Orion Nebula, is right below it. Can I…?" Jim motioned to the telescope.

"That's why I got it. Go for it," Leonard told her. He had to remember to buy Chris a drink. After Jim told him about her father's love of the stars, Leonard talked to her dad. Chris told him about how much George loved certain formations in the night sky and that Jim could find a few of them on her own. He watched as childlike wonder crossed her features.

"I found it. You wanna see?" she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He nodded and put his eye to the scope. "So, it's mostly pale right now but that's because our eyes aren't strong enough to see it in full color. The pictures from Hubble are insanely detailed and bright. Reds and blues and a bunch of other colors." She was practically bouncing in her boots and there was unadulterated glee rolling off of her. If he could stay in this moment with her forever, he would.

"It's beautiful," he whispered. "Want to see what else we can find?"

"Really?" Jim asked.

"Really. We have all night… or at least until one of us gets too cold," he told her.

"I love you," Jim said with a huge smile.

"I love you too, darlin'. Now, you gotta find us some stars because I have no idea what I'm doin'."

She laughed, "I guess it's a good thing that I'm here to teach you."

* * *

"Okay, Pash. I have a meeting with Richard today, I'll mention it," Jim said into her phone as she walked down the stairs looking every inch the CEO that she is in purple and black. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Other than the fact that I work Wednesdays and you don't?" she asked. Leonard nodded. "Someone tried to hack us again. The wiz-kid happened to be in the system, so he watched to see what they were after before he cut them off and traced the I.P. Looks like the hack is coming from Archer Healthcare's offices. The person was looking for information on some internal memos about something called Rivonal," Jim told him.

"It's a drug," he supplied. "It's a mental health medication, used for bipolar disorders. Why would someone be after memos about that?"

"I don't know and I can't look, it'll violate our contract with Archer. It's why I'm going to see Richard," she said before taking a sip of his coffee and making a face. "You need sugar."

"Get your own coffee," he told her.

"What if I want to drink yours?" Jim asked before pressing a kiss against the underside of his jaw. Leonard sat his coffee on the counter and rested his hands on his fiancée's hips.

"Hmm. I suppose I can share with you, darlin'. But I will not ruin my coffee with sugar just so you can drink it. I gotta draw the line somewhere." He pulled her into a lingering kiss. "Besides, you're sweet enough for me."

"Please don't make out in the kitchen, this is where the food is," Joanna said from the doorway.

"That's my cue to go to work," Jim chuckled.

"Okay," he gave her another kiss. "I'll bring you lunch."

"Ooo, I do love it when you bring me lunch," Jim whispered against his lips before pressing a kiss against them.

Joanna groaned, "Seriously?"

* * *

"What do you think about May?" he asked Jim. They were lying in bed, not asleep but not fully awake either.

"It's a month. The weather's nice." Jim looked at him, "You mean for the wedding?" Leonard nodded. Jim thought about it for a few minutes before she smiled. "I like May. Any day in particular?"

"I don't know. We might want to see when that venue is available before we commit to a particular date. Just… not Memorial Day," he said.

"So, we're getting married in a little less than six months?" Jim asked.

"I like how that sounds, darlin'," the southerner answered. "Wait until you tell Gaila and Nyota."

"Wait until you tell your mother," she countered.


	19. Chapter 19

"What about this one?" Gaila asked Jim as Leonard walked into the living room.

"No, Gaila. For the millionth time, there will be no pink. Joanna already picked the colors and I like them. Stop trying to change my mind," Jim said.

"What colors?" he asked. He couldn't help himself.

They have the place, The Haas-Lilienthal House. They have a date, May fourteenth. Now, they had to put everything else together. Jim decided that she didn't want to hire a wedding planner, not with all the help she was getting from Gaila, Jo, Janice and Nyota.

"Light yellow, dark blue and a touch of slate gray," his fiancée answered as she handed him her phone. It was just a couple color swatches but he could see it for their wedding. "What do you think?"

"I think we should let Joanna plan the wedding. I like them," Leonard answered honestly. The only thing he really wanted input on was the food and the cake, the girls can worry about the rest. He wasn't surprised that Jim scheduled the meetings with the caterer and the bakery next Wednesday so that he could go with her.

"Well, she is the smartest person in the room," Jim said before giving him a kiss. "I think I better finish packing."

Jim had a series of meetings with a company in Chicago. Spock was originally set to go but with the hack on the system and the expansion of the company, the Chief Operations Officer needed to stick around the office. Leonard was actually leery about her leaving but Gaila's brother was tagging along. Apparently, Chris was worried too and asked Gary to be her bodyguard while she was out of town. Something about the hack into E.G.'s system being more than it appeared.

"It's just a few days, Bones. I even left some time just in case I get stuck at O'Hare for a day or two. I'll be back before you know it," Jim said. It didn't make him feel any better.

* * *

_Look at this view. I love you._

Jim sent him a selfie with the nighttime, lit up, snow-covered Chicago skyline behind her. The view she had was beautiful, not nearly as beautiful as her but still beautiful. How he managed a whole two days without her, he'll never know. It's not like he's never been on his own, he just didn't _want_ to be without her. When he told Jim the night before, he expected her to call him crazy or clingy. Instead, she told him that she wasn't taking any more trips without him because sleeping without his arms around her made her cranky.

Leonard wrapped up the end of his shift and he was about to meet Gaila and Jo at the condo when said redhead was wheeled in. He had to do a double take when he realized it was her.

"Where's Joanna? The little girl with her?" he asked the medics.

"Daddy!" Jo called as she ran into the E.R. covered in blood with a police officer. She slammed into him and wrapped her arms around his middle. He checked her over for injuries and when he didn't find any, he made her sit behind the nurse's station with Christine while he want to check on Gaila and Greg, who was wheeled in a few minutes later.

"How is she?" he asked Doctor Jackson as he typed out a quick ' _Urgent, call me_ ' text to Jim.

"Nothing I can't fix. A broken arm, bruises, concussion. I'm sending her up to C.T. to make sure there's no brain damage but I think she'll be okay. Friend of yours?" the other doctor asked.

"My fiancée's best friend, they're practically sisters," he told Jackson before asking to be updated on her status. He moved to Greg, who, unlike Gaila, was mostly conscious and giving a description to the police.

"How's Jo?" the big guy asked as soon as he saw Leonard.

"Shaken up but she's okay. She's with Chapel. Gaila's out cold but Doctor Jackson says she's gonna be fine. They're taking her up to C.T. to be sure. What happened?" he asked. The police officers gave him a look but Greg told them that Leonard was family and a doctor before he answered the question.

A man attacked Gaila and Jo in E.G.'s parking lot. Greg came out a minute and a half after the girls and, not willing to risk accidentally shooting Jo or Gaila, slammed into the guy, who pulled a knife and stabbed Greg in the side. Jo was the person who called 911 and kept pressure on Greg's stab wound until the medics got there.

"Your kid saved my life, doc," the guy Jim called Cupcake told him.

"She's never gonna let you hear the end of it either. Any idea on what this guy wanted?" he asked, ignoring the glare he got from the police officers.

"I think he thought Gaila was Jim. She was wearing her hood over her hair. They're both tall, statuesque women with blue eyes who hang out with your daughter. Wouldn't be that hard to mix 'em up when you take the hair out of the equation," E.G.'s Chief of Security muttered as the morphine started to kick in.

"Don't fight the drugs, Greg. I'll call Chris, I'm sure he'll have a platoon of your merc buddies here in a heartbeat to keep us safe. Rest. You did good, man," Leonard said as his big friend's blue eyes drifted closed.

"We're gonna need to talk to this Jim person," the police officer said.

"Jim Kirk, she's the CEO of Enterprise Global, the company they work for. She's in Chicago. I texted her when they came in, I'm waiting for her to call me back," the southerner told the officer.

"Your involvement in all this, Doctor…?" the man asked.

"McCoy. Leonard McCoy. Jim's my fiancée. The little girl who saved his life is my daughter. She hangs out at the E.G. office for about an hour and a half after school," he told them. The pair of cops gave him a look and he sighed, "My kid's a genius, an actual genius. E.G. has a bunch of projects going on at the office and she likes to help out. Since her mama's the CEO, she basically has free reign of the place." Just as the last words left his mouth, his phone chirped.

"Bones, I was in the shower. I just got your message. What happened?" Jim asked. He relayed everything he knew so far. "We'll be on the first flight back even I have to charter something."

"Okay. We'll see you when you get here. Tell Gary to keep his eyes open, Greg thinks this guy was aiming for you," he warned.

"Can do. Call my dad. Do not leave that hospital without a security detail for you and Jo," she practically ordered.

"Yes, ma'am. I love you, darlin'," he told her.

"I love you too."

* * *

The joy of having an almost father-in-law who worked for a private military and security company was that the man was paranoid as hell. Leonard wasn't even off the phone with Chris yet when a team of men, who walked and talked like Greg and Gary, walked up to him. One each went into Gaila and Greg's rooms, another two in the hallway and two more for him and Joanna. He figured out that they were Gary's team from overseas and the man in charge in Gary's absence, Harrison, seemed particularly protective of anything related to Pike.

"Colonel Pike saved my life. More than once. Mitchell too," Harrison told him after Leonard stared at the man a little longer than necessary. "Same can be said for a few of us. Some of us served with Pike in the years before he retired out of the Army, or with Mitch in the Corps and some of us didn't meet either of them until we got to Starfleet. Gary takes after Pike. People forget that the colonel worked in the field before he took that desk job. He's still one of the best."

"I figured as much," Leonard admitted to the man with the sharp British accent.

He always knew he was scared of Chris for a reason and it wasn't because he was sleeping with the man's daughter. The southern doctor gathered that Chris could seriously hurt him without much effort. Judging by this group of men, who were supposed to be with their families for the upcoming holiday, Leonard was right in his assessment of Jim's dad.

"Bones," Jim called as she and Gary stepped out of the elevator. He wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the lavender and black amber scent that was all Jim.

"How'd you get back so fast?" he asked with a sigh. He was relieved that she was here, in his arms.

"Chartered a plane. How are they?" she asked, her face flushed from the cold and worry.

"Both stable. They want to keep an eye on Gaila since she got hit in the head. Greg had to have surgery to fix his stab wound. They'll let Gaila go home tomorrow and Greg the day after. You can go in there, Gary. Just be quiet and don't sit on Jo, she went to sleep curled up in the chair," Leonard told his fiancée and Gaila's big brother.

"What are your orders, John?" Jim asked the British man he'd been talking to for the last five hours.

"My orders are to go where you go. Edwards is ordered to stay with Doctor McCoy. Your father is advising that Joanna not go to school until this is settled. He'll send a Zahra to accompany her should you decide otherwise. There is an operative covering Mister Grayson and team on standby, should we need backup," Harrison told her.

"You don't think something else is gonna happen, do you?" Leonard asked Jim. She looked up at him but didn't say anything. He knew that look. "Oh shit."


	20. Chapter 20

"You have to go, Jim. You guys are getting married in five months. You have to pick out your cake," Gaila told her.

The fiery redhead and her boyfriend were released from the hospital and staying in the spare bedroom. Leonard found out that the rest of E.G.'s top staff members closed ranks too. Hikaru and Janice were staying at Spock's with him and Nyota. Scotty and Pavel were chrashing with Chris and Phil. Geoff was staying there too since they didn't know who these people had on their list and they weren't taking any chances.

The San Francisco Police Department was investigating the assault but they all knew that it had to do with the hack into the system. The best people to look into it from that angle are Jim and company, which is why his fiancée was attempting to reschedule their cake tasting. Gaila, being Gaila, was trying to convince Jim that they couldn't put off the wedding planning. As much as it annoyed him, he agreed.

"We might as well, darlin'. We can't let these people stop us from living our lives and I plan on getting married in May," he told Jim. When she gave him a look, he chuckled. "Let Harrison earn his paycheck." The man in question smirked but didn't say anything. She knew they were right.

"You're right, you're right. Let me grab my jacket," Jim muttered.

* * *

"So, the top tier and the third tier are both red velvet with cream cheese filling. The second tier is lemon with a raspberry compote and the bottom tier is the vanilla cake with the strawberry and pineapple filling, all covered in fondant," Jess, the woman at the bakery said. They were gonna have four small tiers, it would be enough cake for about sixty people.

"That's sounds about right. Can't wait until my mama tastes that red velvet," Leonard said. It was good. Everything they tried was good and picking out what to make their cake was harder than he thought it would be. In the end, he picked the red velvet, Jim picked the lemon and they both loved the vanilla.

"Alright. So, we sketched out your design. I guess the only thing left is to go over payment and the deposit," Jess said. After they finished up the necessary paperwork, and brought cupcakes for the gang, they left the bakery.

"Why does cake cost so much?" Leonard mumbled as they walked to the car, Harrison right behind them.

"Actually, that's about average. It's the fondant and the edible flowers that cost the pretty penny. Dad budgeted fifteen hundred for the cake and we're only spending seven," Jim said with a chuckle.

Chris had money set aside for Jim's wedding since he adopted her, than Phil started adding to the fund when the two men became serious. Other than the bridesmaids' dresses, which Jim was paying for, and the suits for Leonard and the groomsman, which he was paying for, Jim's parents were picking up the check.

"Joys of a smaller wedding," he offered.

"Pretty much," she said with a smile. "Of course, a bigger cake means you can spend some more time with Jess the baker."

"What are you talking about?" the southerner asked.

"She was flirting with you," Jim told him. He thought about it as he opened the door to the SUV for Jim.

"Really? I missed it," he told her.

"I saw," she said before giving him a quick kiss and hopping in the back seat.

* * *

"Where are we?" Leonard asked.

"Inner Sunset by UCSF," Jim answered as she looked out the back windshield. "We're being followed. The condo?"

"Secure," Harrison told her. "Ed, take Kezar to Oak, then hop on the 101 south."

"I'm gonna try to lose 'em, hang on," Edwards said from the driver's seat. Leonard watched as the man who'd been keeping him safe for the last week weaved in and out of traffic. It was like one of those movies where the good guys were trying to get away from the bad guy's cronies.

"Has this happened before?" he asked his fiancée when he noticed that she didn't seem nervous.

"Not to me," she told him. Leonard gave her a look. "Dad may have insisted that I do some defensive driving training when I got my license. He would've taught me how to shoot but George beat him to it. I…" Whatever she was about to say was cut off by the back windshield splintering.

"Get down," Harrison ordered. Apparently, someone was now shooting at them.

He didn't have time to react as Jim pulled him down into a sort of huddle with her. She looked worried but he could tell that it was more about him than herself. Leonard focused on his fiancée. Her breathing was steady and the look on her face told him that her brain was moving a thousand miles an hour. What she was working out in her head, he'd never be able to guess but he was sure she'd get around to telling him. After a few minutes, the shooting stopped and Edwards pulled over.

"Jim, status?" Harrison asked.

"No damage to either of us. Hostiles?" she asked.

"They crashed. We're gonna go check on the civilians. Take this," Harrison said as he handed her a handgun.

"Jim," Leonard said.

"I won't use it unless it becomes necessary," Jim said as she tucked it into the back of her jeans. Harrison and Edwards went to check on the car that their bad guys slammed into. The woman in the car appeared to be okay. Edwards walked towards the other vehicle and that's when the gunshot went off. Leonard watched as the tall man hit the ground.

"Shit," Jim muttered. "Get in."

"Edwards…" he started.

"John will bring him to you, get in the SUV," she told him. Jim got behind the wheel and Leonard got back into the backseat. Just like she told him, Harrison helped Edwards climb into the back with him before he got into the front passenger seat.

"Let me see," Leonard ordered. Pulling Edwards jacket off, the southerner could see where the bullet went into the man's shoulder. He gently pulled Edwards forward so he could see if there was a wound on his back. "It's a through and through. We need to get him to the hospital."

"I'm working on it," Jim said as she drove. Harrison was leaning over the seat trying to help him with Edwards. All of a sudden, Jim grabbed the Brit by his belt. "John, get down." The other car must've called backup because they were being shot at again. Leonard glanced at his fiancée. Now, she was worried.

"The safe house," Harrison told her. Jim nodded and continued to evade their pursuers.

* * *

"He'll be fine. I'd love to take him to the hospital but I know that's not an option. I wish I could check on Jo and the others," Leonard said.

"They're fine," Jim said as she walked into the room with a laptop. "Hik, bring us up to speed." Jim sat the computer on the table in front of him. Hikaru and Joanna were sitting next to each other in the condo.

"Monty called Geoff about that Rivonal stuff," Hikaru started.

"It's an antipsychotic. Mostly used to treat adult and teen schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, the mixed and manic states of bipolar disorder, and irritability in people with autism," Leonard told Jim and Harrison. He asked one of the doctors in psychiatry when Jim brought it up the first time. "Did you guys figure out what's so important about this drug that we're being attacked over it?"

"So, we can't access Archer's files without corrupting our own system but you can track the money," Joanna, his sweet Joanna, said. "We've started a hack looking though medical records and insurance companies in search of people who were prescribed this Rivonal stuff and the affect it had on them," Joanna said. "I bet that whatever this is about, that information is worth millions."

Jim smiled, "You brilliant brilliant child."

"Aye, it's workin' too," Scotty said in the background. "I have a list of people who were all prescribed Rivonal and died of poisoning. The source was never determined. Their families never pushed for more information either. They were all paid off."

"Too bad we can't know where those drugs came from specifically," Gary muttered from somewhere off camera.

"You know better, Mitch," Jim said to her friend. "Pasha and Hik, focus on lot numbers. I bet the dozen people on that list were all given drugs from the same lot number. Bones, what kind of people would a pharmaceutical company need to get a drug going?"

"Researchers, quality control, a team leader. It's depends on the company," he told her. Jim looked at the screen.

"Have Spock find out if a team from M and A Pharmaceuticals was fired, retired, resigned or promoted in some form or fashion. It'll be easy to figure out what lots they worked on from there," Jim said. M and A is a division of Archer. Hikaru nodded and told them that Spock was on it.

"They had to be tainted," Joanna mumbled.

"It's beginning to appear that way, sweetie. It doesn't answer the question of who but at least we'll get a why," Jim answered.

"Then I'll go back to helping Pasha find out who," Jo told them.

"Okay. Just be careful and stay in the condo. Someone was shooting at us and Mister Paul was hit. We'd have to burn the world down if something happened to you," his fiancée told their daughter.

"She's safe with me," Gary said as he leaned into the frame. "You got my word on that. Harrison?"

"We're at a one of the safe houses. When Edwards is ready to move, we will," the former S.A.S. solider reported to his team leader. "I'll keep them safe."


	21. Chapter 21

"So, you wanna tell me the whole story?" Leonard whispered when he and Jim were alone in one of the scarce bedrooms. "The way you and Harrison interact with each other… it's like you know each other well. And you act like you've done this before."

"I don't know which part of that to start with," Jim muttered. "I do know John pretty well."

"Okay, how'd you meet? How well do you know each other?" he asked, not entirely sure he wanted the answer.

"I was on break from MIT, he just moved over from the other side of the pond and he was staying with my folks. We hung out. Had a fling that my dad doesn't know about," she said nonchalantly.

"Wait. You had sex with that man who's been with you every day for the last week? And you didn't bother to tell me?" he asked his fiancée. Leonard could feel the anger starting to rise in his chest. Jim and John. Why didn't she tell him? Was she trying to hide it?

"It happened almost ten years ago, it wasn't serious," she told him.

"Jim," he looked at her.

"It wasn't," Jim told him.

"And the reason you didn't tell Chris?" Leonard was curious.

"I was barely eighteen and John's fourteen years older than me. I didn't want dad to shoot him," she said as she rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed. "Look, it's really none of your business who I had sex with while you were married and expecting a baby with your wife. The only reason I'm telling you is because I don't want to lie and you asked."

"So, you lie by omission," he said without thinking.

"Really?" Jim took a breath, "Like I know about every woman you've ever had sex with. You should be thanking him."

"What the hell for?" the doctor asked.

"I wasn't charming or confident back then, I was awkward and a loner. The genius adopted daughter of a man who worked in military intelligence. Most people weren't brave enough to talk to me. Those who were didn't last long when they realized that I was getting my master's and starting a business while they were going to the fuckin' prom. Hell, Spock is my first real friend. You may not like it but part of who I am stems from those two months I spent with John. He was the first person to tell me not to give a shit about what people thought of me. The first person to really see me. I learned a lot about myself because of him," she said with a sigh. "I'm gonna go check on Paul."

Leonard watched as she walked out of the room. On the one hand, he was pissed, on the other hand, she was right. It's not like she and Harrison were together recently, it was a decade ago. And, since Harrison was out of the county a lot, he could even understand why it was more a fling than a relationship. The southerner had no more right to be pissed about her past then she does about his. He chuckled when he realized that he was gonna have to grovel once this was all over.

* * *

He doesn't know how he managed to fall asleep but a loud crash woke him up. Leonard shot out of bed and looked around as he pulled his boots on. He made his way to the room Edwards was in and noticed that the man was awake and trying to load a weapon with one hand.

"Can you shoot?" Edwards asked him.

"Only if I'm out of options. Healer, not a fighter," Leonard said. "Apparently my fiancée is a secret agent."

"Not really, I just logged some hours on Starfleet's training grounds. Played the hostage that wasn't really a hostage a few times. I even got offered a job," she told him as she and John rushed into the room with them. Jim handed him his jacket and pushed the dresser over to reveal a small door. Harrison grabbed a duffle bag from the closet, handed it to Jim and drew his weapon.

"Go, I'll be right behind you," the man ordered them.

"You better be," Jim told him before she helped Edwards through the door. "Bones, go." He nodded and followed his bodyguard into the tunnel. Jim climbed through behind them.

"Where does this lead?" he asked.

"The garage of the apartment building down the street. We're gonna take a car," Jim told him as she looked back, checking for Harrison.

"He'll be fine," Leonard told her. He might not like that the man had his hands on her body but Harrison was obviously important to her and she was worried. All of a sudden, Jim turned with her gun pointed the way they came.

"It's me, Jamison," Harrison said. Jim sighed and lowered the gun. "Come on."

"You're bleeding," she said, her hand moving to his side. The Brit stopped her.

"It's not mine," Harrison said. Jim nodded and the four of them moved through the tunnel.

"This is so Mission Impossible," the doctor muttered.

"All the Bourne movies," Edwards offered.

"Minority Report and Enemy of the State," Jim quipped.

"You're all skipping the most important one: The Fugitive," Harrison said. "It doesn't get any better than Harrison Ford running from Tommy Lee Jones."

"Why, because his name's Harrison?" Edwards asked.

"No, because he's Han Solo," Harrison said.

"Star Wars is a good one too. The good guys running from the all-powerful bad guys. Never thought I'd live an actual spy thriller," his fiancée muttered. "You guys better fess up if one of you is a traitor and save us all some time."

"No kidding," Harrison muttered as they got to the end of the tunnel. "Jamison, cover the left, I'll cover the right." Jim nodded and the pair slipped out the opening, weapons in hand. After a minute, Leonard heard Jim call out.

"We're clear, guys," she said. "Come on, John found a car."

* * *

"You can't be serious about this," Leonard said to his fiancée.

"We're a bit short on options. She's our only lead," Jim said.

Before they were forced out of the safe house, Jim spent a good chunk of time on the computer sharing info with Pavel. The kid figured out that the hack into E.G. came from Carol Marcus, Alexander Marcus' daughter. Jim, Edwards and Harrison decided that their best course of action was to go to the woman and see if she could shed some light. He didn't like the idea but they didn't have much choice.

"You can stay in the car if it'll make you feel better," Harrison told him. Leonard shook his head.

"I go where she goes," he told the other man. Harrison nodded and jumped out of their second stolen car. He'd be upset but Jim promised to send the people they stole them from money for a new car.

"Stay behind me," she told him. When he gave her a look, she chuckled, "You can't shoot." He couldn't really argue with that.

Carol Marcus lived in a two story house at the end of a cul de sac. According to Harrison and Edwards, it was the last place you wanted to get stuck, only one way out. Edwards stayed in the car while Leonard, Jim and Harrison went inside.

"Door's open," Harrison whispered. Jim nodded and Leonard stayed behind them as the pair entered, scanning the room with their eyes, weapons drawn. He watched Jim and he almost couldn't believe that this woman was his fiancée. The solider thing looked good on her and he could even imagine her working for her dad.

"Help," someone whispered. Jim put her weapon away and moved closer to the sound.

"Shit. Bones, she's hurt," his girl said. He didn't even think as he rushed over. On the floor was a woman who looked like she could've been Jim's long lost sister. The same blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same slender build. She was bleeding from two gunshot wounds in her abdomen. He put pressure on them but he knew that even if he could, somehow, get her to a hospital without her losing any more blood, she'd die before they got her into an O.R.

"I tripped your security. I needed to know if he knew," Carol whispered to Jim. The woman obviously knew she was a goner. "There is a substantial amount of tainted Rivonal. I tried to pull it from circulation but when my father found out he was furious. It was killing people but he was more concerned about the bottom line. I…" She pointed to a photo on the shelf. "It's all there."

"A USB," Harrison said after turning the photo around. He tossed the small storage device to Jim.

"What about these men, Carol. The ones after us?" Jim asked.

"They call themselves The 31. They are thorough. None of you are safe, not even your daughter," the woman said. She closed her eyes, "Finish this, Jamison." They all watched as the woman took her last breaths.

"Come on," Jim urged.

"What about her?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"She's dead, we're not," she said. "We have to go. If she's right, they're gonna go after Joanna and everyone at the condo. They're sitting ducks."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh... two chapters in one day.

"Whoa," Jim said from the front passenger seat. She had the laptop from the safe house and she was accessing the USB that they got from Carol. They were sitting in the parking lot outside the Walgreens near the hospital.

"What does it say?" Harrison asked.

"Carol tracked down the lot of tainted Rivonal. Turns out that the team from M and A who worked on it is dead. All but one; a guy by the name of Doctor Tristan Adams," Jim said.

"We got anything on him?" Edwards leaned forward.

"Running a search now," Jim told them, her hands flying over the keyboard. "He's a shrink. He was just a consultant… that didn't renew his contract after the quality control reports came out. Has an office in the Embarcadero. It's been closed for the last week. Carol's notes say he went to ground. He has a brother, Timothy Adams. If I can track Timothy down…"

"You could find Tristan," Leonard offered.

"You are a super genius, Bones," she said. Jim used some program to find information on the Adams brothers. "Got it." She rattled off an address to Harrison.

"Are we sure about this? And what about everyone at the condo?" the southerner asked.

"Doc's right," Edwards said. Jim and Harrison looked at each other for a minute while they sat in the parking lot.

"We're gonna have to split up," Harrison finally said. "Edwards, you two should head to the condo. Jamison and I will track down Adams."

"Wait a minute," Leonard said. "You want to split up?"

"We don't want to but we don't have much choice. Go home to Joanna, Bones. I'll be fine," Jim said as she slid the laptop into a bag. "We'll call when we get something useful." He didn't like this but he wasn't gonna fight her on it.

"I love you," he told her.

Jim smiled, "I love you too."

"Go kick some ass," Leonard said, turning her favorite phrase around on her.

"Yes, sir," Jim said with a chuckle as she hopped out of the car with Harrison. Leonard and Edwards watched them walk away before the merc started the car. The southerner offered to drive but Paul turned him down. They were halfway to the condo when Paul sighed.

"I'm sorry about this," the man said before stabbing him in the leg with a syringe.

"What's the… hell?" Leonard asked as his vision started to fog.

"I have my orders," Edwards said before pulling out his phone. He put the smartphone against his ear, "Kirk figured out where Adams is, she's heading there now with Harrison. Kill him, bring her, I have someone that will guarantee her compliance. Tell the team at the condo they're a go." Edwards kept talking but Leonard couldn't make any of it out. The world around him went black.

* * *

"Daddy. Daddy, wake up," Joanna called. He groaned and forced his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was that his hands were tied together. The second thing was that Joanna was tied to the chair next to his and Pavel was tied up on her other side. What the hell?

"You okay, baby girl?" he asked.

"Yea but they hurt Mister Monty and Mister Hik. Mister Gary is dead, he tried to protect us from them. Mama wasn't with you?" she asked.

"We split up, she's with Mister John," Leonard told his daughter. "Do you guys know where we are?"

"Office building near the water… I think," the Russian wiz-kid muttered. Something was off about the way the kid spoke. He leaned over as far as he could to see if he could give Pavel a once over.

"They hit him in the head. It's not a concussion but it was close. These idiots want mama; something about E.G.'s system," Jo added. "We're the easiest way to get to her. Someone dropped the ball though, they didn't know which kid so they took us both. I think they're gonna kill us when they get what they want from her."

What would be in Jim or E.G.'s possession that would warrant murder and kidnapping? And who was involved? Edwards was obviously working for Marcus. Gary wasn't or he'd still be alive, not like the man would let someone hurt his sister anyway. Harrison was on their side too. That's why Edwards waited until they split up, he's no match for Harrison's Special Forces training.

"I don't think she'll…" Leonard started when the door opening stopped him.

"You're awake. Good," the man said as he walked in. Leonard recognized him as Alexander Marcus. "Nothing to say?"

"To a man who had his own daughter killed over money? It doesn't matter what I say," the southern doctor said. Marcus' features darkened.

"We all can't have daughters as obedient as yours. Carol made her choice and suffered the consequence. She was warned," Marcus said coolly just as Edwards walked into the room.

"The team I sent after Adams, Kirk and Harrison hasn't reported in," Edwards told Marcus.

Leonard held back his smirk. If these idiots think Jim is gonna roll over and take whatever they send her direction, they had another thing coming. That woman is stubborn as hell and, once she finds out that they killed Gary, hurt her friends and took him, Jo and Pavel, she's gonna be pissed off to boot. Not to mention that Chris –and probably Harrison- trained her well.

"Make contact. Kirk and Harrison still think you're on their side, use that," Marcus told the younger man. Edwards nodded and left the room. Marcus looked at him, "Your fiancée will be here soon and then this will all be over."

"This is not gonna end the way you want it to," Leonard told the man.

"What makes you so sure?" the other man asked.

The doctor smiled, "I know Jim."

* * *

"What are you doing, baby girl?" he asked his daughter.

"Getting us out of here. They didn't tie me _that_ tight," the ten year old told him as she wiggled and squirmed until her arms were free. Leonard wasn't even surprised when he thought about it. She's spent the last two days with Gary and Hikaru and a week with Zahra, one of Chris' female operatives, somebody must've taught her a thing or two. He watched as his kid untied him and Pavel too. "I know the way out."

"How?" Leonard was curious.

"They didn't knock me out or blindfold me. I paid attention like Miss Zahra taught me," she answered. Leonard pulled her into a tight hug when his arms were free. "No time to mushy, daddy. We gotta go."

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a chuckle. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that Jo was Jim's daughter. They were gonna have to do something about that, legally, when this was all dealt with. Joanna took his hand and Pavel's and the three of them carefully made their way through a nice offices.

"We're in the Archer Healthcare building," Pavel said when they saw the logo on the wall. They kept goin' until they heard footsteps heading their way. Leonard pulled his little girl and Jim's youngest friend into a dark office.

"The old man is crazy. He ordered me to shoot his daughter last night," someone said. The other man laughed.

"He pays well, I don't care if he's crazy," the other voice said as they got further away.

"Is that true?" Pavel whispered.

"Yea, Carol. Jim found her bleeding to death on her floor," he whispered. "She's the one who tipped us off."

Leonard realized after watching Jim sift through Carol's information that the woman was brilliant, on par with Jim, Spock and the rest of her friends. She wanted someone to notice the hack. Carol needed someone else to know what was going on. He wished it didn't lead to them getting shot at or kidnapped but he agreed that something like that needed to be exposed and she used the only avenue she could, even if it got her killed.

"Come on, they're gone," Joanna said.

The three of them left the room and continued on their path. Eventually, they were near the service entrance to the building. A group of those 31 guys were waiting by the door with Marcus.

"What they waiting for?" Pavel asked just as a car pulled up. For a second, Leonard thought it was Edwards, then he saw the flashbang drop out of the rear driver's side door. He shielded Jo and Pavel's eyes as it went off.

* * *

Chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. Guns were going off. People were fighting and dropping. It was like watching an action movie. Leonard had to get the kids out of here. With Marcus' people distracted by a group of Feds and operatives from Starfleet, he decided that they should make a break for one of the doors. They were almost there when someone slammed into them and the glass shattered above their heads.

"That was a dumb move, Bones," Jim said, her beautiful eyes scanning Joanna for injuries. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry. Jim was wearing a tactical vest under her leather jacket with a gun holster on her thigh. When he gave her a look as she pulled him, Pavel and Jo out of the line of fire, she chuckled. "My dad made me a consultant so I fall under Starfleet's government contract if I have to shoot someone. Considered that they kidnapped my family, there's a very good chance that I will."

Family? She was talking about him, Jo and Pavel. They were her family and she brought heavy duty backup to get them back. It made his heart melt.

"Now, you can go," Jim said as she pushed them towards the door. "Dad's out there, go."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm not leaving John, Zahra and Greg in here. Go. We're right behind you," she told him.

"You better be," Leonard repeated her words to John from last night. She smiled and ran back towards the others. Leonard, Jo and Pavel ran to an SUV, Chris wrapped his arms around all three of them when they got there.

"Jim stayed in there, didn't she?" Chris asked. They all nodded. Jim's dad chuckled his arms still around them, "I feel bad for Marcus."


	23. Chapter 23

He couldn't decide if he was angry or turned on when Jim and Marcus came crashing through one of the doors. He knew his girl was livid. No, she was beyond livid, Leonard could see the fury coursing through her body as she moved. One, they beat up Gaila, stabbed Greg, killed Gary, hurt Monty and Hikaru and kidnapped him, Jo and Pasha. Two, this had nothing to do with her or E.G. Three, Marcus had his own child killed. Just one of those was reason enough to piss her off, all of them together… Marcus will be very lucky if she leaves him with the ability to walk away.

The man stalked towards Jim with a handgun pointed at her, the southerner made a move to help her when Chris grabbed him and shook his head. Leonard couldn't figure out why the man -or any of the agents- wouldn't let him help Jim, then she moved. She popped right up with a grasp on Marcus' wrist, relieving him of the gun, twisting his arm and punching him in the face.

"Look at her. She's okay," Chris told him. They watched as Marcus swung at her and Jim ducked, delivering a blow to his ribs.

It turned into a mess of swings and a handful of kicks. Marcus was bigger then Jim by about sixty pounds and half a foot taller but she made up for her size disadvantage with speed and skill. The way Jim fought was very her. She was smooth when she needed to be, rough when she needed to be. Precise but readily adaptable. There was a large part of him that wished he would've hung out at the gym with her and Hikaru before this.

"I wish I had popcorn," Jo muttered from next to him. That was the moment the whole fight changed. Jim managed to get the upper hand and she started wailing on the older man. Finally, Harrison was the only one brave enough to move in and grab her around the waist. Jim swung at him too but he caught her arm before it connected.

"That's enough, Jamison," Harrison told her, his arm still around her.

"No it's not. He kidnapped my daughter. He's lucky I don't fuckin' shoot him," she said, her tone full of venom. Leonard has never heard her so angry, not that he could blame her. Marcus ordered a raid on her home and attacked her family.

"How hard did you hit him, darlin'?" he watched as the agents had to practically drag the man to their car and catching a glimpse of her bloody knuckles. Even from a couple yards away, Leonard could tell that she broke Marcus' nose and maybe fractured his eye socket. The man was black and blue and bloody. Leonard would have to get closer to know for sure and there was no way he wouldn't add to the injuries if he was that close.

"Hard enough for him to remember never to fuck with us again," Jim growled. Leonard had to take a deep breath because it was sexy as hell when her voice dropped like that.

"He needs to go to the hospital. Hopefully it'll be San Fran General," Harrison said.

"I didn't kill him but that doesn't mean papa or Geoff wouldn't," Jim said. "Anyone talk to Gaila?"

"She's with Ny and Spock at the hospital with Scotty and Hikaru," Chris told them. "Gary was a good kid. Too good for this shit."

"No kidding," Jim muttered. She looked at Harrison, "Let me go. I won't go back over there. I promise." The man wasn't so sure and didn't release her until they were within arm's length of Leonard. As soon as the Brit let her go, the doctor grabbed her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his neck. He doesn't know how long they stood like that. At some point, Joanna wrapped her arms around them and Jim just held onto both of them.

"You're really hot when you're kicking ass," he whispered in her ear. "You okay?"

"I'm much better now that I know you're both safe," she whispered back.

* * *

"So fill in the gaps for me, I'm still lost," Leonard said as they stood –or sat- around Scotty's hospital room. "How'd you figure out that Edwards worked for Marcus?"

"First, nobody knew which bakery we went to and we weren't followed, someone had to call them. John went inside with us. Then, Edwards got shot in the shoulder by men with much better aim then that. Next, the attack on the off-the-books safe house in the middle of the night when no one, including my dad, knew we were there," Jim offered.

"Jamison fed him a fake address to Adams and we watched as a team showed up to kill us. They're dead, by the way," Harrison added.

"What about Marcus?" Hikaru asked from his wheelchair.

"Other than me kicking his ass? I dumped all the information Carol gave us onto the internet. The tainted drugs, the payoffs, the contract killings, funding an official terrorist organization, oh, and a wee bit of fraud. Their stock took a nose dive this morning. By the time the federal government and Barnett are done with him, Marcus will be lucky to see sunlight," Jim said.

"Does he realize that we wouldn't have known anything if he didn't send people after us?" Greg asked.

"If he doesn't he's an idiot," Harrison told them. "Then again, going after people so closely associated with Starfleet is generally a bad idea, even with a mole."

"How the hell did that happen, by the way?" Jim asked.

"I've already got someone looking into it," her dad said.

"What do we do now?" Pavel asked as Scotty ran his fingers through the eighteen year old's hair.

"We bury our friend. Try to have a good Christmas. I got a wedding to plan. And a offer to consider," Jim said.

"What offer?" Ny asked, glaring at Spock as she did.

"Two weeks ago, Starfleet approached us with a proposal for a partnership," the half Canadian told them.

Jim sighed, "They're expanding their cybersecurity division and they'd decided that it would be mutually beneficial to partner up with us instead. It would still be our company and Spock and I would still own and operate it but we'd have access to more clients and some government contracts. Plus we'd be part of the Starfleet brand, which would prevent something like this from happening again."

"Will we lose our jobs?" Scotty asked.

"Hell no. I would never let that happen; it's a mandatory condition of the contract. We haven't decided anything yet. Just something we were thinking about before Marcus tried to kill us," she told the group. "Not like we don't work well with Starfleet anyway."

* * *

"Were you scared, mama?" Leonard heard Joanna ask when he went to tuck her in, Jim must've beat him there. His little girl was sleeping in Jim's old room at Chris and Phil's house while the condo was a wreak.

"There was a moment, after I realized that Edwards was a bad guy and you and your dad and Pasha were missing, where I thought I might never see you again," Jim said, her voice shaky. "And I was terrified. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that you guys weren't gonna give up without a fight. So I better fight too." Jim was crying by that last sentence and he could hear it in her voice.

"We knew you'd find us," Joanna said.

"Always. I don't care where you are in the world, I will always come for you," his fiancée told their daughter. Leonard leaned against the wall and let out a breath. The reality slammed into him like a ton of bricks that they almost lost each other. Jim stepped out of the room and took one look at him. "Come on."

Jim pulled him to the guest room and closed the door behind them. For a long minute, she just looked at him. Then, she pushed his shirt off, scanning him for injuries.

"I'm fine. I'm not the one who went all Manny Pacquiao on Marcus," he told her. Jim nodded and pressed her face against his chest and trembled in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Bones. I'm so sorry." What the hell was she apologizing for?

"Hey. You have no reason to be sorry, darlin'. This wasn't your fault," Leonard told his fiancée.

"They killed Gary and drugged you and took Jo. They took her to get to me," Jim whispered against his chest. He could feel the tears on his skin when she started to cry.

"Come on, darlin'. You know better. Gary promised that he's keep her safe and he died keeping that promise. I trusted Edwards, so that one is just as much on me as it is you. And Jo… Jo saved me and Pavel," the southerner said. "She's brave, just like her mama. We knew you'd come for us and you did. I'm so proud of you, darlin'. And fuckin' impressed. For a computer nerd, that whole G.I. Jim thing was seriously badass." That had the desired affect and she burst into laughter, they both did.

"What am I gonna do with you?" she asked, voice just above a whisper.

"A lot... After we get some sleep," Leonard told her.

"What's sleep?" Jim asked.

"Something that normal people do on a regular basis. I plan to sleep in since your papa managed to get me a few days off," he said as he pulled the rest of his clothes off.

"Sleeping in with you is the best idea I've heard all week."


	24. Chapter 24

"I got something for Jim," he told everyone sitting around the tree in Chris and Phil's living room.

"Hey, I thought we agreed no presents, Bones," Jim said. Leonard nodded and handed her the folder. It wasn't really a present in the traditional sense.

"Just open it," the southerner instructed her. She rolled her eyes and did as he instructed.

"This is… but… I…" his fiancée started a few times. Leonard chuckled at the look on her face. Chris smirked, he knew what the paperwork she was reading said. Geoff, Phil, Pavel and Scotty looked just as confused as Jim was.

"Well, what is it?" Joanna finally asked.

"An order granting me co-guardianship of you. It means I have almost the same rights to you as your father does," Jim answered with tears in her eyes. "How'd you do this?"

"I called Lee. Told him what I was thinking and he did the legwork. All I had to do was sign some paperwork and talk to the judge. I would prefer if you could adopt her but I have no idea if Jocelyn would agree to terminate her rights and going to court for that would take forever. This way, you can make decisions, sign paperwork, take Jo to the hospital… stuff like that. It also means that, should something happen to me, you can petition for custody and this would be used as proof of _in loco parentis_ ," he told her. Jim wiped the tears off her face and burst into laughter. "What?"

"Wait until you see what I got you," she told him.

"No presents my ass. You got me something?" Leonard asked. Jim and Jo shared a look. "You two got me something together?" They both nodded. "What?"

"We're gonna have to show you. So, go put on some real clothes," Joanna told him as she made a motion towards his pajamas.

"I know what it is. Trust me, man, you're gonna like it," Geoff told him.

* * *

"Where are we?" Leonard asked his girls.

"On Rhode Island Street, two blocks from San Fran General," Joanna said as Jim turned the car off. "Come on, daddy."

"Okay," he said as they walked up to a house. "What are we doing here?"

"You still haven't figured it out?" Jim asked as she pushed him past one door, up the stairs, unlocked the second door and ushered him inside. Joanna made a dash up the stairs as he took a look around. The place was beautiful, empty but beautiful.

"So, this place has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, state-of-art kitchen with an island, marble counters and stainless appliances. Recess lighting, hardwood floors, walk-in closets. This is the main level… living room, two master suites and the laundry room. Top level has the kitchen, dining area, two bedrooms, two bathrooms. Lower level has the office with a separate entrance, that's the door we passed and, obviously, the garage. The backyard is enclosed, access is upstairs. What do you think?"

"I like it. It's nice," he said as he looked around. "You wanna buy this house, don't you?" Jim gave him a look and jingled her keys. "You already brought it."

"Yep. It's worth a little more than the condo but once I sell that, it won't be that big of a difference," she told him.

"Liar," he said with a chuckle. "Gimme the real numbers, darlin'."

"That's the truth. Condo's worth one point eight. The house is worth two point one. Three hundred thousand's not that big of a difference in San Francisco when you consider that this place has more square footage than the condo does. And no, you cannot pay for any part of it, defeats the whole point of it being a Christmas slash wedding present," Jim said.

"Present. You mean I own this house?" Leonard asked her.

"Well, we own this house," she said. "We're both on the deed."

"What if I didn't like it?" he asked.

"Oh, please. I know what you like and so does Jo, which is why she helped me pick it out a while ago. I saw your face when you walked in. You can even decorate however you want. Other than my office, I don't really care what it looks like. I do love the floors though, reminds me of the Kirk house in Iowa, so we're not changing 'em," Jim told him with a smile. "Well?"

"I think we can decorate together, we're gonna be here a while. You're lucky I like this place. Next time, let me know before you buy something over a quarter of a million. I'm very secure in the fact that you make more money than me but you gotta give a man a warning so I don't have a heart attack," he told his fiancée.

"Deal," Jim said with a smile and a quick kiss. "Wanna go see what room Jo picked?"

"Yea. Come on."

* * *

"What is this?" she asked as she looked down at the small box.

"A birthday present. Open it," he told her.

"I thought I told you not to go crazy," Jim pouted.

"I didn't listen. Now, open it," the doctor told his fiancée. Jim gave him a look as she opened the box.

"Oh, Bonesy. It's beautiful," she said as she ran her fingers along the charm bracelet. "A skull and crossbones, really?"

"You're the one who nicknamed me 'Bones', darlin'," Leonard said with a shrug.

"An airplane. A computer. An engagement ring. Two separate stars. An 'L' and a 'J'. And a 'mom'… that one has Joanna written all over it," Jim said.

"She picked it. And one of the stars, which is why you have two. I picked the other one. I even have some more charms for after we get married but I'm not telling you what they are," he teased.

"Our story on my arm. It's beautiful, thank you," she said before giving him a kiss. Leonard wrapped his arms around her and pulled Jim closer.

"You're welcome, darlin'. Now, come on. I happen to know that there's a very nice bath waiting for us," Leonard said against her neck.

"That explains why we're at this hotel," Jim chuckled.

"Well, some of my best experiences are here. I figured we could make a few more."

* * *

"I think I need an accent," Geoff muttered. The mother of their patient was flirting with Leonard relentlessly, to the point of annoyance.

"You think that's it? I just talk and girls fall all over themselves?" he asked his friend.

"No. Well… maybe. You're handsome, no homo. You're also a doctor, which I am too. So I figure, that the accent has gotta be the difference," Geoff told him.

"Maybe it's the southern charm," Leonard chuckled.

"What about it?" Phil asked from behind them. Leonard relayed the conversation and the older man laughed. "The accent is hot but I doubt that's the appeal. Jim's not shallow."

"Speaking of the wonderful woman in our lives. She reminded me this morning that I haven't given her the names for my side of the wedding party. Would you two do me the honor of being groomsmen?" the southerner asked.

"Me? Seriously?" Phil asked with a look of astonishment.

"Yes, you. I didn't get to pick last time around and I ended up with one friend and my brother-in-law with six other groomsmen. Jocelyn's brother and cousins. You're my friend and that's the whole point," Leonard told Jim's step-dad.

"I'd be honored. You know if you hurt her in any way…" Phil started.

"My daughter would kick my ass before anyone else got a chance to," he finished for the other man. "What about you?"

"I'm so there. Best man, right?" Geoff asked.

"Sorry, Geoff. Fred is best man. We go back over twenty years and he's basically my brother… even if he wasn't married to my sister," Leonard told his friend.

"It's cool, I can still hit on the bridesmaids," the other doctor said.

"Doubt it. Gaila's the maid of honor. Ny and Jo are the bridesmaids," Phil said.

"Isn't Jo a bit young?" Geoff gave him a look.

"Nope, a junior bridesmaid is a too old to be a flower girl. Usually it's a much younger sibling or family member that the bride is close too. In this case, Jim's mini-me," Leonard answered.

"So I'm not the only one who thinks your daughter takes after Jim more than she does you?" Geoff asked.

"Nope," Leonard and Phil said at the same time.

"It's the genius thing and the fact that they genuinely liked each other when they met. You know how people talk about love at first sight?" Leonard asked. Both men nodded. "They were like that when they met. I barely got the introductions out and they were joined at the hip. Have been ever since."

* * *

"Guess who's officially part of a consortium?" Jim asked when he walked into Chris' kitchen.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say E.G. The deal went through, darlin'?" he asked.

"Yep. E.G. is now part of the Starfleet Protection International brand. We're one of three companies they've joined up with. It's pretty cool," she told him. In addition to Enterprise Global for cybersecurity, S.P.I. had agreements with Mayweather Aerospace and Tucker Engineering Corp. "Heads up, I'm getting a pay raise and a bonus."

"Of course you are. I don't want to know," Leonard said. He chanced a glance at Chris before he sighed. "I um… I think we should have a prenup, Jim." The look on her face was priceless. He put his hand up to stop her from saying anything. "I'm not saying that we're gonna split up but I said that the last time around and Jocelyn walked away with everything that didn't belong to my family. I just think a paper that says everything is separate unless we officially combine it shouldn't be that hard."

"That's what our prenup says," her dad offered. Jim looked at him. "It does. Our prenup left our debts and assets separate unless or until we purposely joined them. Which we eventually did for most stuff anyway but there some things that we'd rather keep in our own names. Stuff like the money for your wedding has always been off the table. Phil added to it but he never had access to it."

"I don't know. Even if we split up, I wouldn't care if you got half my assets… I think my heart would be too broken to care," Jim whispered.

"That's what papa said," Chris told her. "I talked him into it though. I don't want his assets."

"Are you sure?" she asked the southerner.

"I am. I have no intention of going anywhere, darlin', but I want you to be protected if something happens," Leonard said.

"What were you thinking?" Jim asked with a sigh. He knew she didn't like the idea but she knew they both had a point.

"Our current assets are and everything we earn is separate unless we put it in our names jointly… Like the house. No alimony for either of us. We split up, the joint property is divided evenly. That's it. Simple," he answered.

"Okay. I'll have Lee draw something up for us to look over," she said. Jim chuckled, "You leave me for a hot nurse and I'll kick your ass."

"I would never do something like that. I've seen you fight and you're scary, darlin'," he told her.

"Damn straight."


	25. Chapter 25

"I like it," he told her as he looked over the mock-up she had for a layout in some computer magazine.

"Of course you do. That's the whole point of re-branding and doing interviews; to get more people to like us. I'm just glad they didn't go too sexist with it," Jim muttered.

"You know Spock would never go for that, you're his sister in every way that matters and he'd never let someone disrespect you. Besides, you're already beyond hot for the owner of a cybersecurity company and I doubt they have to point that out. Which is why they went for normal-ish with the pictures," Leonard said.

"You talked to Gaila, didn't you?" she asked.

"Of course I did. I honestly just called to check on her when she told me what was up. She got a kick out of the fact that someone has beautiful as you are was worried about these pictures. It's nice hearing her laugh, even if it's at you," the southerner answered.

After Gary's funeral, Leonard hadn't seem much of their favorite redhead. It turns out that she was spending some time with her family. He was worried about her, then Gaila started talking about shoes for the wedding and he knew she was on her way to being okay.

"I know. She needed some time to wrap her head around it. Now she's in full maid of honor mode. It's kinda scary but I know she won't let us down," Jim said before looking at the picture on the screen. "Tech Magazine today, who knows what tomorrow."

"I think you might have to get me the original of this one? I like it," Leonard whispered against her shoulder before pressing his lips against it.

"You're incorrigible," she muttered. He nodded and pulled the tablet from her hands.

"Only when you're involved."

* * *

Leonard knew something bad was gonna happen when he woke up that morning. It was Valentine's Day and Jim planned the whole thing, he just had to show up. So, getting a text twenty minutes before the end of the shift telling him that Jocelyn was at the house pissed him off more than anything. Phil, who came in for his shift early, told him to go. Geoff, the buddy he was, drove him home since Leonard had gotten into the habit of walking the two and half blocks after they moved in a few weeks ago.

"Who's yelling like that?" Geoff asked.

"Jo," Leonard said to his friend as they ran up the steps. If Jocelyn thought the little girl was gonna welcome her mother back with open arms, she had another thing coming.

"…You don't get to just show up and tell me anything. You left me and went to Europe with that asshole. Leave me alone," Jo yelled just as Leonard walked into house. Jocelyn smiled when she saw him.

"Lenny," his ex-wife said sweetly. She wants something. He doesn't know what but he knows that tone.

"Jocelyn," he greeted her coolly before dropping a kiss on the top of Joanna's head. "Hey, baby girl, why don't you show Uncle Geoff that new game you were talking about?" Jo nodded and walked past her mother, flinching away when the woman tried to grab her, and went up the stairs with the other doctor. For a long minute, Leonard watched as his fiancée stood up.

"I'm gonna let you talk," Jim said. Leonard reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Stay. Whatever she's gonna say has to do with you too. What do you want Jocelyn?" he asked the woman standing in front of him.

"My daughter. You think I'd just leave her," the woman said.

"That's exactly what you did. Almost a year ago," Jim mumbled. His ex-wife glared.

"I'm not talking to you," Jocelyn growled. Jim just gave her a look.

"I know you got better manners than that. It's her house, she can say what she wants. You know there's no way in hell Jo would ever leave with you after that disappearing act you pulled on her. The custody order was changed when you left the country and you know that. Why are you here?" he asked.

"She's pregnant and I'm guessing he left her high and dry. For the Spanish secretary, if I had to guess," Jim offered. He looked closely at this ex-wife and her hand slowly moved to cover her stomach protectively at his observation.

"How the hell do you know that?" Jocelyn glared at Jim.

"I'm a genius who's stepdad and fiancé are both doctors. Not that hard to figure out if you pay attention," his girl answered.

"You're engaged?" Jocelyn asked him after spotting Jim's ring. He nodded. "But… but…"

"You thought you could come here and I'd fall all over myself to get back together with you because I was miserable and pathetic? Nope, sorry. You cheated with that trash and I upgraded. How'd you find me and what do you want?" the southerner asked. Jocelyn stared at him before she sighed.

"Property owners are listed online. I have nothing and no one. I sold my rings just to get back here from Spain. I called my family but they don't want anything to do with me. I thought... maybe…" Jocelyn sighed.

"I'll put you up somewhere nice for a few days and I'll buy you a ticket to Atlanta. What you do from there is on you. I'll try to talk to Jo but I won't promise you anything. If she contacts you, it'll be because she wants to. Until she does, you leave them alone. Deal?" Jim offered the other woman.

"Why would you do that?" Jocelyn asked.

"Because of you I have them, they're the best thing that ever happened to me. And my mother's dead… Jo thinks she doesn't want to talk to you now but there will come a day when she wishes she did. Plus the baby deserves to know his or her sister," Jim replied. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes. We have a deal," Jocelyn said. Jim pulled out her phone to make a call and left them alone. "Where'd you find her?"

"On an airplane, believe it or not. Jo will come around eventually but I don't expect anyone else will. The house in Atlanta is still yours and you owe Fred big time because he's been maintaining it since you left," Leonard said. "My advice is to sell it and move into a smaller place until you figure out what you're gonna do."

"Why don't you hate me?" his ex asked.

"I never hated you. Dislike the hell outta you most of the time, sure, but never hate. I wasn't blameless in why our marriage fell apart. I just didn't cheat," he said honestly.

"Your fiancée doesn't like me much, does she?" Jocelyn asked.

"Nope. More on Jo's behalf than mine," he said with a shrug just as Jim came back.

"She's all set. There's a taxi coming for you. When you get to the hotel just give them your name. You have a flight home in two days. Non-stop straight to ATL," Jim said.

"Thank you," Jocelyn said. It's the second time he's ever heard the words come out her mouth.

"Didn't do it for you."

* * *

"Who are you texting this early in the morning?" he asked his daughter.

"My mother and Uncle Monty. But mostly Uncle Monty, we're building a rocket later today," Joanna answered. Leonard looked at Jim, who was making pancakes.

"Science fair. Scotty and Pasha offered to help. They both get a kick out of that stuff," his fiancée told him as she sat a plate in front of him. "I already saw the specs for it, it's pretty cool."

"Where are you building this rocket?" he asked.

"My office," Jo said. He gave her a look. "What?"

"Since when does she have an office?" Leonard asked his fiancée.

"Last week, it's the empty one next to Pasha's. She was working on something too big for her too take over my office with it. So I gave her one. Jo's more than earned it anyway and she's there so much that it just made sense. Besides, we were talking about a summer job for her at E.G. and since it's April, the timing worked," Jim said.

"She'll be eleven in a few days," he said. Jim and Jo both gave him a look. "She's is also a genius. What's the job?"

"Systems security. I'll get to work with Pasha like I did with the whole Archer thing," Jo said. "I'm gonna take a couple college credits too. Mostly online, so I can do it from work."

"Really?" Leonard chuckled, "Jim?"

"At the rate she's going, she'll graduate high school before she turns thirteen. College right after that. I'm not gonna stop her unless I see signs of burn out." He could actually understand that.

"And E.G.?" the southerner asked.

"If she wants to work for me, she can. If she wants the company and she works for it, I'll give her one of my jobs, I technically have three of them," Jim said with a shrug as she sat down. "Men give their companies to their kids all the time, at least our kid knows what she's doing."


	26. Chapter 26

"Nervous?" Fred asked him.

"No," Leonard said. He looked at his best man, "Is that weird? I'm not even a little nervous. I'm almost… euphoric."

"Not weird at all, little brother," Fred told him. "I met your girl a few days ago and I'm a little in love with her… in a big brother, mess with her and I'll beat the crap outta you kind of way. You remember how pop used to look at Ellie?" Leonard smiled as memories of his father filled his head. "The way you look at that woman reminds me of your folks. Like you spent your whole life in the desert and she's water. It's just meant to be."

"You think so?" the doctor asked.

"Well, I was right last time around about you-know-who and nobody listened to me," Fred teased. That was true.

"Won't make that mistake twice," Leonard said just as Phil came into the room. "How is she?"

"Beautiful. They're having an impromptu dance party," the older man told him. "It's cute. Wait until you see the pictures."

"I wasn't invited to dance," Geoff pouted.

"Jim knew you were gonna say that. She said to come find her at the reception, she'll save a few for you," Phil said with a chuckle.

"You know what's so cool? You guys are all already a family," Fred said. "This is just an excuse to have a party."

Leonard chuckled, "It's the only way we'll find Geoff a girl… or guy. Whichever."

"You're lucky you're getting married today or we'd have a problem," Geoff said, giving him a nudge.

"Scared of Leo?" Fred asked.

"Scared of Jim. She beat the crap outta the last person that messed with him, I'm not adding myself to that list. And Jo… don't let that sweet exterior fool you, that kid is crafty and protective of her parents. I don't want to catch her wrath for messing with their wedding day."

* * *

"This is it," Fred said as they stood in the front of the ceremony area with Hikaru, who was officiating. Because he's Hikaru… and apparently he was ordained a year ago to officiate the wedding of one of his college classmates.

Surprisingly, the girls were not the first people to come down the aisle when the music started, Spock was. He was carrying a single white rose and sat it on the seat in the front row where Chris was sitting during the rehearsal. Leonard realized that it was for George, that's where Jim's father would've sat. Then Donna did the same on the other side of the aisle for their dad, next to their mother's seat. Scotty was behind her and sat his rose in the seat next to George's for Winona. Pavel's rose went in the seat next to that one for George junior. And Janice carried her rose to the second row for Gary. He had no idea who planned that but he'd put his money on Nyota and Spock. He looked at Jim's best friend.

'Thank you,' Leonard mouthed.

'You are welcome,' Spock replied silently.

It all seemed to go in slow motion after that. First Nyota, than Jo, then Gaila walked down the small aisle. All wearing different gowns in the same shade of blue that fit their personalities but still went together. Joanna was wearing a pair of Converse sneakers in yellow, with 'McCoy Jr' embroidered on the sides. He couldn't help chuckle when he saw them because he was sure Jim had something to do with that and she probably had a pair too. He dropped the thought as soon as the music changed, the doors opened and there she was.

Leonard felt like his heart stopped. She was a vision. The gown was simple from the front but he knew –thanks to Geoff- that there wasn't much of a back. Her long blonde hair was up in some kind of bun with curls and braids and he knew that was Gaila's handiwork. Leonard smiled when he noticed the stars pinned in her hair. Jim had one hand wrapped around her bouquet of blue, white, yellow and gray flowers and the other holding onto Chris' arm.

"Thank you everyone that is here today to celebrate the union of Jamison Kirk and Leonard McCoy. Otherwise known to our circle of friends and crazy one and two," Hikaru said. Everyone chuckled. "I'm just kidding… maybe. This occasion not only marks the beginning of their marriage commitment together, but it is a commemoration of the love shared between these two. Together, they embark today on a new life together, built on the foundations of trust, compassion, and mutual respect. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" their friend asked.

"In memory of her father, George Samuel Kirk senior, I do," Chris answered. He gave Jim a tight hug and kissed her cheek before turning to hug him too. The older man then placed Jim's hand in Leonard's and stepped away to take his seat. Jim handed her bouquet to Gaila and looked at him.

"Hi," Jim whispered.

"Hey, darlin'," he whispered back as they took their place.

"Aren't they so cute?" Hik asked. Everybody laughed. "Like seriously. You guys are adorable all the time. Look, I'm the guy who makes jokes but I really do love these two. They give me hope for the future. I've known Jim a long time and I always knew that it would take an amazing man to get her and keep her. Someone who gets the crazy way her mind works and isn't fazed by the fact that she takes care of a bunch of overgrown children like she's our big sister. Someone who sees the best parts of who she is and the worst parts of who she is and loves them both. And then Leonard showed up. The grumpy guy who came to us from Atlanta and became the big brother for our group. Who grumbles at us to take care of ourselves and doesn't get what we're talking about most of the time but listens just the same. The love these two have, it's the stuff they make movies about. Though, in this story, there's no conquering hero or damsel in distress. It's two people standing side-by-side against everything else. That's what marriage is."

Leonard could practically feel the looks of surprise their friends were sending at Hikaru because none of them expected that when he said he'd write the ceremony himself.

"I would invite my friends to share their vows. Age before beauty… so, Leonard, you're first." Hik told him, causing everyone in the room to chuckle.

They decided to keep the vows simple. Partly because it was easier to remember and partly because they didn't want a long wedding.

"Jim, today I take you as my wife. I love you now as I've always loved you, and as I always will love you," he told his bride.

"Alright, sister, you're up," Hikaru said.

"Bones, today I take you as my husband. I love you now as I've always loved you, and as I always will love you," Jim said. She made a motion to Gaila and then Jo stepped closer to them. With a little help from her maid of honor, Jim knelt to Joanna's level. "Jo. I love your father so much and I am so grateful that you shared this wonderful man with me. Joanna, today, I take you as my daughter. I love you now as I've always loved you, and will always love you."

"McCoy junior," Hik said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Mama… I'm calling you mama and I dare anyone to tell me I can't," his daughter said to chuckles. "Mama, I love you and I always will," Joanna said before giving Jim a hug. The pair pulled away and Jo wiped the tears off of Jim's face before returning to her spot between Ny and Gaila. Jim stood up after that and there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

"I really wasn't paying attention at the rehearsal if I missed that," he said.

"Oh, Jo and I got a whole bunch of stuff up our sleeves, just you wait," Jim told him.

"You sure you wanna do this, man?" Hikaru asked him with a nudge.

"Never been more sure," Leonard answered.

"Good answer. Now the fun part. I tossed out the old traditional I Do's because, let's face it, you guys aren't that traditional and we all know the answers to that love and cherish stuff because you already got that down. So, Jim, do you promise not stay up all night writing code or doing paperwork?" Hik asked.

"I do," she answered with a chuckle.

"Do you promise to teach Leonard how to use all the electronics in your house?" Hikaru said.

"I do… I think," Jim said. Everyone laughed.

"Do you promise to recognize that your husband-to-be is a country boy and you need to learn how to make a good pitcher of sweet tea for crying out loud?"

"I do," she was laughing her ass off as she tried to get the words out.

"Leonard," Hikaru looked at him. "Do you promise to let Jim warm her icy feet on your legs every night?"

"I do," Leonard said with a laugh.

"Do you promise to teach Jim to play baseball? She sucks," Hikaru said.

"I do," he answered. Where the hell did Hik get this stuff?

"Do you promise to never again wear mismatched plaid? It's not a good look."

"I do," Leonard said. Everyone was cracking up by the time he got around to saying that one.

"Cool. Now, I had something planned for the rings but I think what Jim needs to say is better anyway. So, I'm gonna leave you to it. Jim."

She thanked their friend and smiled as Fred handed them the rings.

"This is not a new ring. It belonged to a man that I have loved since the day I was born. I always swore that the man I gave this ring to would not only be worthy of being my husband, but he would be a man my father would consider worthy. The man I would love for the rest of my life. Wedding rings serve as a welcome and constant reminder of the bond we share. This is the ring my mother placed on my father's finger thirty three years ago and with it, I thee wed," Jim said as she slid the white and yellow gold band onto his finger.

"Darlin', I can't tell you how many years I've had this ring. It belonged to my great grandma, my grandma and my mama. The last time I got married something stopped me from using this ring. I now know that it was always meant for you. With this ring, I thee wed," he said, sliding the white gold and diamond band on her finger with her engagement ring.

"Jamison and Leonard, by the power vested in me by the state and a church, because that's the only way it'd be legal, I am pleased to pronounce you wife and husband. Leonard, kiss your wife, man!" He didn't need to be told twice, he's been inching to kiss her since she walked into the room. Leonard pulled Jim against his chest and pressed his lips against hers. His wife. Jim was his wife.

Hikaru smiled, "Ladies and gentlemen, I now have the privilege of presenting Doctor and Misses Leonard McCoy."


	27. Chapter 27

"So, what do you want to say to the camera, Bones?" his wife asked him, pointing the small device in his direction.

"Nothing yet, darlin'. We're still in San Fran. I promise to say something a little later," he told her.

Jim, being the wonderful creature she is, decided that they were going on a romantic road trip for their honeymoon. He had no idea what was up her sleeve until that afternoon when Chris, Phil, his mama and Jo met them at the hotel with the Chevy. When he asked her what was up, Jim explained that they were going on a grand adventure and she gave him three very good reasons why.

The first was the fact that he hated to fly. She said there was no way in hell that they were going to spend any part of their honeymoon doing something they don't like. Especially fly. Her second reason was the fact that the Pacific Coast Highway could be romantic if you did it right. Looking at the map, he reasoned that you could drive from San Francisco to Santa Monica in about ten hours on the PCH, but Jim found places for them stop and things for them to explore. She also found a couple B&Bs on their route that they can't pass up and they both wanted to walk the Santa Monica Pier. The third, and most important, reason for a honeymoon road trip was the fact that it was how they started. If it wasn't for that first trip, those two days, they wouldn't be here. Maybe they would've met through Phil, but it wouldn't have been the same. Now that they were married, he could admit that he started falling in love with her on that trip.

"I do have something to say," Leonard said after a minute. Jim smiled and focused the camera on him again. "Yesterday, I married the most amazing woman in the world. Today, we're starting our grand adventure. Not just this trip, but the rest of our lives. I hope that when we watch this many, many years from now we are even more in love... If that's even possible. Was that cheesy?"

"A little but I like it."

* * *

"Get over there. You've been taking my picture all day. My turn," he told Jim as he took the camera and nudged her. They made their first stop at the Seaside Inn in Moss Beach, the large bed and breakfast that Jim told him about. After dropping off their stuff in their ridiculously beautiful room, they had dinner and now they were walking down the beach.

"Okay, okay," Jim chuckled. "Right here?"

"Perfect," he said. The sun was just starting to set and what was left of the light hit her just right. He took a few pictures before Jim asked to see.

"Wow," she whispered. "Maybe I should let you take all the pictures, you're really good at it."

"I'm not that good. I just have a good eye when it comes to you," Leonard told her. Jim smiled "Wanna head back, Misses McCoy?"

"I think I do, Doctor McCoy."

* * *

They barely made it back to their room before they were all over each other, pulling off clothes as soon as the door was closed. This was in stark contrast to the sweet and slow –exhausted- tone from their wedding night.

Leonard pressed his wife against the wall, trailing kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Jim gasped when he dipped his head and circled one of her beautiful breasts with his tongue, drawing the sensitive flesh into his mouth, and sucking. Her fingers buried in his hair, pulling him closer as she moaned her approval; his hand finds her other breast and massaged gently. Moving from one nipple to the other, Leonard chuckled when Jim tried to pull him even closer.

"Leonard," she sighed. He always loves hearing his name on her lips like that.

He started to kiss his way down her body and heard her breathing hitch, she knew what was coming. Kneeling in front of her, he placed his hands on her hips and gently nipped her thigh. Leonard looked into those blue eyes that he loves so much before he closed his mouth over her. He held her steady as she shuddered against him, her whole body vibrating.

Working her over with his tongue, Leonard took his time hitting all the right spots, except the one he knew she wanted the most. It was almost cruel but he knew her body better than he knew his own and she loved it when he got her so worked up. Even if she tried to deny once or twice.

"You're such a tease," Jim mumbled. He chuckled before he flicked his tongue over her clit and sucked it into his mouth. She moaned, "Oh… oh, God. I take that back." Leonard chuckled again, he knew she would. Her moans grew louder and she tried to push against his mouth but she didn't have any leverage while she was standing, it frustrated the hell outta her.

Leonard pulled away and picked his wife up. Jim opened her mouth to argue, but changed her mind when he placed her on the big bed and settled between her legs again. This time he slid two fingers into her and felt her muscles clamp tight around them. He knew she was so close. Leonard hummed against her clit and Jim exploded. He lifted his head to watch her. Her hair was a mess of blonde waves around her head, her mouth was open in a silent moan. It was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

He moved up Jim's body, licking each of her nipples on his way before claiming her mouth in a deep kiss. Her hands explored his body, playfully squeezing his ass and he can't help the laughter that escaped his lips.

"You're silly," he whispered against her lips.

"Like that's news to you," she chuckled.

"It's not," Leonard admitted before pushing into her slowly, letting her feel every inch of him. Jim's eyes fluttered closed. "Open 'em, darlin'."

Her eyes locked with his as he started to move. He relished the way she feels when he's buried inside her, so wet and warm and tight and his. Jim was his. She moaned his name loudly not caring that the entire building might hear her. He doesn't care either.

He rested his forehead against hers, their pace picked up and Leonard could feel that familiar tingle at the base of his spine. He couldn't hold back much longer and neither could Jim. Her whole body tightened around him and she cried out as her second orgasm slammed into her. It was too much for him and he followed her over that ledge.

He doesn't know how long they stayed like that, tangled and sweaty and sated before Jim chuckled.

"I wonder if they heard us," she said with a laugh.

"Us? I think you mean you," he told her.

"Same difference. Wanna go again?" Jim asked.

"In a bit. You gotta give me a minute," Leonard said against her collarbone.

"We got all the time in the word, husband."

* * *

"If I knew this would make you so happy, I would've found us some horses sooner, darlin'," Leonard chuckled.

They didn't get that far down the PCH when they spotted a ranch that offered horseback rides along a trail and on the beach. A short conversation later and they were both signed up to go on the ride. He'd been on horses before but Jim's never had the chance. Two hours later, and the look of utter joy on her face was well worth the stop.

"I should buy a horse," she said.

"We don't have anywhere to put a horse," he reminded her.

"Your mama does," she said.

"True… But I wouldn't do that to her," the southerner said.

"We'll figure it out later, Bonesy. Where to?" she asked.

"There's a brewing company a couple hours south of here. Burgers and beer for lunch?" he said.

"Sounds like a plan, my love."


	28. Chapter 28

"Wake up, Misses McCoy," Leonard whispered against his wife's neck, pressing kisses along the smooth skin.

"Go away, Doctor Kirk," she muttered. He chuckled. Technically, they both had both names. He added Kirk as a second middle name like Phil did and Jim hyphenated, adding his last name to her own. For half a second, they entertained the idea of making up their own last name but they decided against it because of their fathers.

"Can't do that. You have a meeting at eight."

"I know that," she sighed. "How exactly do you know that?"

"Gaila's on the phone. Something about showing you an engagement ring before the meeting," the southerner said with a shrug. She reached out and he chuckled as he handed her the phone.

"You or Ny?" Jim asked her friend. Leonard watched as her eyes shot open. "Really? Oh my God. Okay, okay. I'll be there as soon as I get dressed. I'll bring the better half, it's his day off and he's gonna want to see this too."

"Do I even want to know?" he asked when she hung up.

"I think you do," she muttered. "I'm gonna take a shower. Are you gonna come wash my back?"

"Nope. I know better, darlin'. We'll never get out of here if I do," Leonard told his wife before giving her a quick kiss. "I'll go tell Jo to get ready. You get dressed."

* * *

"Pavel Andreievich Chekov, get your skinny ass over here," Jim ordered the almost twenty year old as they walked into the E.G. offices. "Let me see it." Pasha held out his left hand and on his ring finger was a shiny silver hexagon shaped ring. "Oh, my…." She pulled the kid into a tight hug.

"Can't breathe, Jim," Pasha muttered.

"Sorry," she said as she let the wiz-kid go so that Jo could hug him. "I can't believe it. Where's Monty?"

"Right here, lass," the man said with a smile and Jim hugged him too. "I dinnae know ye'd be so excited."

"Are you kidding? This is awesome, my boys are getting hitched. Though, I am required to glare at you and give you a warning. You know what I do to people who mess with my family. I love you to death, Monty, but I'd pick him over you in a heartbeat," Jim said. Leonard chuckled and she looked at him.

"You said to me about Jo," he reminded her.

"Jo's my kid and Pasha's my baby brother, it's valid in either case. You missed my conversations with Greg and Spock, that was funny," she said. He chuckled as his brain conjured up an image of his wife staring the two tall men down about her sisters. "You hurt him, I will beat the living daylights out of you."

"If I hurt him, you can do what you want to me," the engineer told them.

"We'll hold you to that," Leonard said. He could admit that he had a soft spot for the kid.

"No offence, lass, but your husband is scarier than you," Monty said.

"Of course he is, he cuts people open for a living," Jim said. "It's a good thing he doesn't work for dad. Those guys already know a bunch of crazy torture techniques."

"Oh shit… I think Chris might actually be scarier than both of you," Monty muttered.

"As the man who married his daughter, I can tell you that he's even scarier than you imagine," Leonard said.

"I think it's hilarious that everyone's scared of dad," Jim said. "Papa's actually the more dangerous of the two. People don't expect him to be and that's what makes it so funny."

* * *

Leonard was happy to get back to work. He and Jim loved being together but they were also the kind of people who needed to do their own thing sometimes, it's why they clicked so much. The doctor was leaning against the nurse's station with Geoff and Christine, showing them pictures of his honeymoon.

"Let's see. That's Franklin Point. It was a nice walk. Then the Swan Barry Farm. We picked some berries… and Jim gave a bunch of hers to a little girl. That's the bunker at Greyhound Rock. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center. We stayed just outside Santa Cruz… Jim took those pictures out," Leonard smirked. There are quite a few of them both in various stages of undress.

"I guess it's a good thing. Don't want people lusting after your wife," Geoff said.

"Who says they were all her?" the southerner asked, earning a laugh from his friend and their favorite nurse. "Anyway, we went kayaking. Spent the night in a resort. Saw Big Sur, which… was beautiful. We stayed there for hours."

"Are those seals?" Phil asked over Leonard's shoulder.

"Yes, they are. The herd was a bit south of Big Sur," he told the other doctors. "We did a bunch of stuff. Went to a marine reserve. Jim tried to teach me how to surf. We danced on the beach for no reason. Saw the aquarium and walked the pier in Santa Monica. It was good. We might have to do that again for one of our anniversaries or something."

"Look at my son-in-law… he's so adorable," Phil teased.

"Are you making fun of my husband?" Jim asked from behind them. Geoff jumped but Leonard knew she was there the whole time.

"I am, sweetheart. I'm not sorry either, he's cute. He's planning your anniversaries," her papa said.

"I heard," Jim said. "It's very sweet. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Sharing pictures now that we have the time. It's been a busy morning," he told her. "What can I do for you, darlin'?"

"Came to steal you for lunch," she said with a wink.

"Just him? I thought you loved me, Jim," Geoff pouted.

"I do love you. So trust me when I tell you that you don't want to go with us," she said sweetly.

"What…? So it's like that?" Geoff asked.

"M'Banga, they brought a house two blocks away and his pager works at home… Think about it, sweetie," Christine said with a bit of a blush.

Geoff chuckled, "Oh… Oh… I don't want to know."

* * *

"We need to talk," Jim said.

"The phrase that no man ever wants to hear," he muttered.

"It's not bad, I promise," she told him.

"Okay. What's going on, darlin'?" Leonard asked his wife as he sat next to her on the end of their bed.

"I have my yearly appointment with my gynecologist in like three weeks. Um… this would be the end of the third year for my implant and I've been thinking about not getting a new one," his wife said with a sigh.

"Are you asking my permission?" That would be very un-Jim-like.

"Hell no. I'm just asking your opinion. I would never make a decision on birth control without talking to you about it," she told him. "I'm not even saying lets go get knocked up. I'm saying that we don't really have the option to get pregnant at all."

"I think you should do whatever you feel is best for your body, darlin'. If you don't want to get another implant, I'm sure we could use another option. Whatever you decide, I'll support you," he said. "Though, if I'm being honest, I like the idea of having a baby. Of you having our baby."

"You can really see that? Me pregnant out to here?" Jim asked, her hands hovering over an invisible baby bump.

"I think you'd make a beautiful pregnant woman. You already glow, darlin'," Leonard whispered against her neck before pressing a kiss against it. "I hope our future child gets your eyes."

"I hope our future children get the Kirk smile," she said with a smile of her own. "And I love your eyes. Any kid who gets them would be lucky."

"I think that as long as our hypothetical future baby is happy and healthy, it won't really matter to us what they look like," he pointed out.

"Fair enough, my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh... there's only the epilogue left.


	29. Chapter 29

Leonard smiled as he stepped into Enterprise Global's new building. It still has the warehouse feel of the old one, it was just five times bigger. He guessed that's what happens with a major expansion.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the desk in the lobby asked. He didn't recognize her, so Leonard assumed she was new.

"No, Erin, he knows his way around," Janice said as she walked in behind him. "He's the boss' husband." The girl's eyes widened as Janice looped her arm with his and pulled him along with her.

"New girl?" Leonard asked.

"She is but she won't last long, Gaila doesn't like her already," the blonde told him. "She's a bit of a gossip and you know how we are about information around here." Janice and Gaila changed jobs as the company grew. Janice took Gaila's old job as Jim's assistant and Gaila was appointed as the office manager.

"Who's taking over for you when you go on maternity leave?" he asked her. The woman was due any day and her leave started at the end of the week, if he's remembering correctly.

"A mix of Gaila and Joanna. I'm so ready for this part to be over, I miss my heels. I don't know how Jim did this," the blonde muttered. She and Hikaru have been married for a year and a half and they were expecting their first child.

Almost a year ago, on the day after their fourth wedding anniversary, Jim gave birth to the cutest little boy in the whole universe. George David McCoy, named after their fathers, had Leonard's nose plus Jim's bright blue eyes and blonde hair. The little boy was why he was at Jim's office in the first place, she had a habit of taking Georgie to work with her, instead of the daycare at the hospital, when she wasn't too busy. More often than not, the baby wouldn't even be with her.

"Jim missed her Louboutins too but it was worth it. When they put our son in my arms… there are no words for that feeling," he said. A lot of that day was a blur but he remembers that feeling like it was ten minutes ago.

"Stop. You're gonna make me cry. Go be cute and sappy with your wife," Janice gave him a little push towards Jim's office.

This office was slightly bigger than the old one but you wouldn't know it to look at it. There was a small alcove on one side that Jim had converted to a mini-nursery. It was blocked off by a beautiful sliding room separator that hid the small space from view when their son wasn't there. The joys of being the boss.

"Where's mini-us?" he asked as he stepped into the room and noticed that his wife was alone. Jim was at her desk doing something on her computer.

"With Pasha, Jo and Spock," his wife answered with a smile.

"Practice?" Leonard asked as he weaved through the baby stuff on the floor.

"Ny said no babies for them anytime soon. At least, not without a ring. I swear Spock better marry her before I kick his ass. Pasha and Monty should get word on their adoption soon, so I guess they are practicing," Jim said with a smile. "And Jo better not have babies until she's forty."

"No kidding. I think she's okay just being a big sister," he said as he leaned over Jim's desk and kissed her.

In addition to their son, Jocelyn had a little boy too. Edward Joseph Darnell, named after his ex-father-in-law, loved the hell outta his big sissy, who goes home to Georgia to see him when she can. The newly turned sixteen year old is a busy body. Jim was right about Jo graduating from high school early and his daughter was almost done with one degree while working at E.G.

"She's good at it. Of course, all these babies gave me a great idea," she said. "We got some space downstairs that we're converting into child care," she told him.

"For three kids?" Leonard raised an eyebrow.

"Well, one of the new hires is expecting. Georgie, baby Chekov-Scott, Ren Sulu…" she said.

"Ren? I thought they didn't know the gender?" he asked.

"They don't. Ren's a unisex Japanese name and it's a Welsh name that means ruler. Where was I? Gaila's knocked up. You can't say anything because nobody knows yet. That's five kids so far," Jim said.

"Gaila and Greg? Well… She having a fit yet?" he asked.

"A little. She's having her wedding dress altered, that's why she's not here. I think they might be moving the whole thing up but I don't know," his wife sighed. "I remember the days when it was just me and Ny talking her out of ridiculous shoes, now look at us."

"I am looking," Leonard said as he looked at his wife. "You know what I see?" She shook her head. "I see the most beautiful woman in the world."

"How do you do that?" Jim asked.

"Do what?"

"Make my knees go weak with one sentence," she said.

"It's a gift."

* * *

"Da da," Georgie said from his spot on Leonard's chest.

"That's me. Can you say mama?" he asked his son. The little boy frowned at him and he couldn't help but smile. "Not yet, huh? Are you gonna be normal like me?" Baby George chewed on his hand and just stared at him. "That answers that question."

"Nothing normal about you, love," Jim said from the doorway.

"That so?" he asked.

"Of course," Jo called over Jim's shoulder. "You take care of all of us and we're not even remotely normal."

"I'm still the normal one," Leonard told his two favorite women.

"Nope," they both said at the same time before climbing into bed on either side of Leonard and George.

"Daddy's not normal, right, Georgie?" Jo asked her baby brother. The kid's face lit up as his sister talked to him.

"You're like the baby whisperer," Leonard muttered to his daughter.

"I'm awesome, I know," the teen said with a smile. "It's almost your bedtime, Georgie."

"Yea it is. I was about to tell him a story, you ladies gonna stay?" he asked. Jim and Jo both nodded.

"Okay. What tale do I tell tonight? I got the prefect story. Once upon a time, there was this grumpy doctor who had to take a trip on an airplane," Leonard started. Jim chuckled because she knew what was coming, but Jo never heard the whole story. "The doctor hated to fly with a passion and he was worried because a storm was rolling through. Then, this beautiful blonde, blue-eyed girl talked to him. The girl in seat twenty-two-A…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending this one actually made me sad. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and all that jazz.  
> Until next time, AJ.


End file.
